PRIME MINISTER

Tony Blair

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Tony Blair in his role as Quartet Representative; what was discussed at each such meeting; on what date each such meeting took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the achievements of Tony Blair in his role as Quartet Representative; what recent discussions (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials of (i) No. 10 Downing Street and (ii) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have had with Tony Blair on this issue; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent targets he has give to Tony Blair in his role as the Quartet Representative; what recent discussions (a) he, (b) other Ministers and (c) officials in (i) No. 10 Downing Street and (ii) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have had with Tony Blair on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 411W.
	The Quartet has an important role to play in supporting the peace process. Tony Blair has been working closely with the United States of America and others on the Palestinian Economic Initiative which will help create sustainable, long-term growth in the Palestinian economy. Most recently Foreign Office officials met Mr Blair on 19 November 2013. These discussions focused on the prospects for the Middle East Peace Process and how to support the efforts of the United States of America and other parties involved.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Leader of the House what the cost of travel within the UK was for staff of the Office of the Leader of the House in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Andrew Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Information on expenditure on travel and subsistence is published in the Department's annual accounts, which are available in the House of Commons Library.
	A summary of staff costs (outside of normal working hours) for this current financial year (between April and October 2013) is as follows:
	(a) hire cars: £303.03
	(b) helicopter hire: Nil
	(c) hotel accommodation: Nil
	(d) subsistence: Nil.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Responsibilities

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last meet the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: I last met the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland on 24 October 2013.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress she has made in improving the energy efficiency of her Department.

Theresa Villiers: My Department currently operates from three locations; 1 Horse Guards Road, London; Stormont House, Belfast; and Hillsborough Castle.
	The relocation of the London office in February 2013 was a key element of our drive for efficiency and enabled my Department to secure savings in the region of £1 million per annum. This move also enabled us to reduce our footprint from 3,098 sq m to 462 sq m by maximising opportunities for open plan working which has reduced energy costs.
	In our offices in Northern Ireland, there is a strong emphasis on encouraging staff to be energy aware and to maximise the sharing of IT equipment and to turn off all appliances (computers, printers and lights) when not in use. The ‘Turn it Off’ campaign is promoted throughout the Department which also includes the use of energy efficient appliances and light bulbs.

Foreign Relations: Republic of Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she next plans to meet the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Ireland; what the subjects for discussion will be; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I meet regularly with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so.

Northern Ireland Government

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the call by the Attorney-General for Northern Ireland for an end to all investigations, inquests, inquiries and prosecutions for Troubles-related killings which took place before the Belfast Agreement of April 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Attorney-General was not speaking on behalf of the Government when he made his comments. The Government has no plans to introduce an amnesty for troubles related offences committed before the Belfast Agreement.

Northern Ireland Government

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she next plans to meet the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister; and what the subjects for discussion will be.

Theresa Villiers: I meet regularly with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to discuss a range of issues and will continue to do so.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether offices of (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Theresa Villiers: My Department operates from three locations, one in London and two in Northern Ireland. Neither of the Northern Ireland premises have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent sports television service. While the London office can receive Sky Sports this is as part of a wider parliamentary television service which is necessary for official business. There is no additional charge for Sky Sports channels and, therefore, no cost to the public pursue.
	My Department has two Executive non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As these bodies are independent of Government, the hon. Member may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Sinn Fein

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last meet the Sinn Fein leadership to discuss the disappeared.

Theresa Villiers: I meet regularly with the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss a range of issues, including addressing Northern Ireland's past. The British and Irish Governments continue to fund and support the work of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains. I would reiterate their recent call for new information to assist in locating the remains of those who have not yet been recovered.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Wi-fi

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will change the House of Commons wi-fi system to one which, once the password has been entered and remembered by devices, does not have to be re-entered each time the device is switched on.

John Thurso: The current password system for wi-fi is in place to protect the service and to manage the volume of traffic to ensure a strong signal is received.
	Most iPhones and iPads used by Members already have the ability to retain the password and connection to the wi-fi across the estate. Members can call into the Members' Centre in the Atrium of Portcullis House to have this configured on an iPhone or iPad.
	Machines, such as BlackBerrys and Android devices, are unable to remember the password and this needs to be re-entered each time the device is switched on. PICT is aware of this and is looking at ways of securely improving the wi-fi service to a wider range of devices.

WALES

Devolution

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the devolution settlement in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Jones: On 18 November, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), and I, alongside the Welsh Minister for Finance, announced that the Government has accepted, either in full or in part, all but one of the 31 recommendations on fiscal devolution made to it by the Commission on Devolution in Wales in its first report. The package of tax and borrowing powers being devolved to Wales will strengthen the Welsh devolution settlement by ensuring the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Government become more accountable for how they raise the money they spend. The Government intends to legislate in this Parliament to implement the proposals, and we will publish a draft Wales Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in the current parliamentary session.
	The Commission is now considering what modifications are needed to the boundary of the Welsh devolution settlement, and the Government will carefully consider the Commission's findings when it reports next spring.

Disabled Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Stephen Crabb: The proportion of staff at the Wales Office, as at 31 October 2013, who have a physical or learning disability by each civil service pay grade is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Pay grade Declared disabled Declared non-disabled Undeclared 
			 Administrative Assistant 0 100 0 
			 Administrative Officer 0 60 40 
			 Executive Officer 0 71 29 
			 Higher Executive Officer 0 89 11 
			 Senior Executive Officer 0 80 20 
			 Grade 7/6 10 40 50 
			 Senior Civil Service 0 100 0

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(2)  how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(3)  how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(4)  how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(5)  how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(6)  how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has had no complaints of discrimination lodged against employees of the Department in the last five years.

Employment Tribunals Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has had no employment tribunals lodged against the Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Stephen Crabb: The Department has a number of energy efficiency measures in place including encouraging staff in its London office to switch off lights when rooms are not in use and ensuring that computers are switched off at the end of the working day. The Department's Cardiff office is a modern building with built in energy efficiency measures. The Department has reduced its carbon emissions from 83.32 tonnes in 2009-10 to 75.37 tonnes in 2012-13.

Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, column 240W, on the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011, if he will meet Carl Sargeant AM, John Griffiths AM and Ann Jones AM to discuss the implementation of fire sprinkler legislation in Wales.

David Jones: Implementation of legislation passed in the National Assembly for Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government, and consequently I have no plans to meet with Carl Sargeant AM, John Griffiths AM or Ann Jones AM at this time.

London Welsh School

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions his Department had with the Department for Education on funding for the London Welsh School; and if he will meet the London Welsh School and the London Welsh Chapel to discuss their future.

David Jones: The Wales Office has always been supportive of the London Welsh School, which I have previously visited. I have recently been in contact with the school to offer reassurance about their eligibility for Free School status, in particular the requirement to demonstrate local demand. I would encourage the school to make an application which would be considered in the normal way.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether offices of his Department have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service.

Railways

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the planned rail link between Heathrow and South Wales on the economy in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Jones: The planned rail link between South Wales and Heathrow is a vital investment for businesses in South Wales that will cut typically 30 minutes off the existing journey time. This faster link to the UK's main air hub will make Wales a more attractive destination for businesses looking to invest in the UK.
	The benefits the Heathrow spur has to offer to Wales were outlined to me during my recent visit to Heathrow's Terminal 2 where I was also pleased to meet Welsh businesses who are contributing to its construction.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each civil service pay grade.

Stephen Crabb: The proportion of staff at the Wales Office, as at 31 October 2013, by gender and by each civil service pay grade is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Pay grade (a) Percentage female (b) Percentage male 
			 Administrative assistant 50 50 
			 Administrative officer 66 34 
			 Executive officer 45 55 
			 Higher executive officer 70 30 
			 Senior executive officer 83 17 
			 Grade 7/6 46 54 
			 Senior civil service 25 75

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each civil service pay grade.

Stephen Crabb: The proportion of staff at the Wales Office, as at 31 October 2013, by ethnicity and by each civil service pay grade is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Pay grade (a) Percentage white British (b) Percentage black Asian and other minority ethnic groups Percentage undeclared 
			 Administrative assistant 0 0 100 
			 Administrative officer 60 20 20 
			 Executive officer 57 29 14 
			 Higher executive officer 67 0 33 
			 Senior executive officer 60 0 40 
			 Grade 7/6 70 0 30 
			 Senior civil service 100 0 0

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change Levy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the amount of money raised through the Levy Control Framework through consumer bills from customers in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each year between 2015 and 2020.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 22 November 2013
	The Levy Control Framework (covering the Renewable Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the costs of Contracts for Difference) sets an upper limit on spend as follows
	
		
			  Upper limit on spend (£ million) 
			 2014-15 3,300 
			 2015-16 4,300 
			 2016-17 4,900 
			 2017-18 5,600 
			 2018-19 6,450 
			 2019-20 7,000 
			 2020-21 7,600 
		
	
	All figures are in £ million and 2011-12 prices. The limit represents the combined total effect on domestic (household) and non-domestic bills.
	DECC's methodology for estimating the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills assumes that the costs of the schemes in the Levy Control Framework faced by energy suppliers are passed on in full to consumers (domestic and non-domestic), and that costs are spread on an equal per MWh basis.
	Given the respective shares of total UK electricity consumption, this implies households will face approximately one-third of the total UK costs of schemes covered by the Levy Control Framework, and non-domestic consumers (including businesses, industry and the public sector) the remaining two-thirds. The precise method of cost pass through will vary between energy suppliers depending on their own tariff structure and approach to cost mark-up.
	DECC has not estimated a geographical split going forward but in 2011 England accounted for 84% of total UK electricity consumption, Scotland 9% and Wales 5%.

Electricity Generation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much generation capacity from (a) renewable and (b) non-renewable energy sources was installed in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013.

Michael Fallon: The following table shows generation capacity installed from renewable and non-renewable energy sources during each of 2011, 2012 and 2013.
	
		
			 (MW) 
			  Renewable generation capacity Non-renewable generation capacity 
			 2011 3,049 -3,057 
			 2012 3,274 -1,042 
			 2013 (January to June) 3,985 n/a 
		
	
	Data showing new installed capacity alone are not available; figures given are net of reductions and closures. In both 2011 and 2012, these exceeded new capacity for non-renewables.
	Renewables figures include coal station conversions to biomass, which show as a reduction to the non-renewable figures. Non-renewable data are published annually, on a Transmission Entry Capacity basis, and will be available for 2013 on 31 July 2014.
	Renewables data are from table ET 6.1, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewables-section-6-energy-trends
	Non-renewables data are from table DUKES 5.7. In addition, a list of major non-renewable capacity that has closed, reduced or converted (to biomass) in the last three years can be found in Table 5B in chapter 5 of DUKES. Both are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Gregory Barker: Since its inception, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has made good progress in increasing its energy efficiency and has reduced energy consumption across its estate by 44% from 2008-09 compared to 2012-13.

Energy

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to those trying to switch energy providers who find using the internet difficult;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to assist elderly and disabled people if they have problems switching energy provider.

Michael Fallon: The Government is providing legislative backing to Ofgem's Retail Market Review measures to simplify and standardise tariff structures and provide consumers with clearer and better quality information so that it will be easier for all consumers to compare tariffs.
	We recognise however, that even with an effective competitive market vulnerable consumers will need extra help and advice to engage with the energy market and to give them the confidence to take decisions that will reduce their bills.
	That is why DECC has provided £900,000 funding for the Big Energy Saving Network, a programme of consumer outreach led by around 500 specially trained energy advisers from voluntary organisations and community groups throughout Great Britain.
	The outreach programme will focus on helping vulnerable consumers, including those who do not have access to the internet, take concrete steps to reduce their energy costs, by taking action on tariffs and switching.

Energy: Competition

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many different officials employed by his Department have worked in the team handling retail market reform since that work stream's creation.

Michael Fallon: Ofgem, as the independent regulator, has led the work stream on retail market reform. Since Ofgem launched this work with the Energy Supply Probe in 2008, 20 officials have worked on these issues at various times for the team responsible in DECC. There are currently eight officials in the relevant team who contribute to work on retail market reform.

Energy: Unfair Practices

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many financial penalties have been levied on the six largest energy suppliers for unfair trading with small suppliers in the last 10 years.

Michael Fallon: We are not aware of any such penalties in the last 10 years. However, the energy regulator, Ofgem has issued a statutory consultation on new licence conditions to improve access to the wholesale electricity market, including by requiring the eight largest electricity generating companies to follow a set of 'Supplier Market Access' rules when trading with small independent suppliers. The Consultation can be found at:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/wholesale-power-market-liquidity-statutory-consultation-secure-and-promote-licence-condition

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the 2013 auction value of EU Emissions Trading Scheme allocations made in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) the UK.

Gregory Barker: Free allocations to UK installations in the EU ETS for 2013 will not be made to operators until the Commission has approved the final version of the UK's free allocation figures. However, based on provisional data and assuming an allowance price of £3.65 (based on average 2013 prices to date and average exchange rates) the estimated value of free allocation in 2013 is expected to be approximately £252 million for the UK.
	We hold this data by regulator, and this equates to approximately £24 million for installations regulated by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, £150 million for installations regulated by the Environment Agency, £43 million for installations regulated by National Resources Wales, £3 million for installations regulated by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and £32 million for installations regulated by DECC Offshore.

Fuel Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many hon. Members have written to his Department on behalf of constituents about (a) his plans to alleviate fuel poverty in the private rented sector, (b) the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (c)  the disconnection of (i) gas and (ii) electricity supplies since June 2013; what the average time taken to reply to such letters was; if he will place in the Library a copy of each such reply; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) written, (b) email and (c) telephone representations he has received in each month since June 2013 about (i) his plans to alleviate fuel poverty in the private rented sector, (ii) the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (iii) the disconnection of (A) gas and (B) electricity supplies; how many such representations were from (1) individuals and (2) organisations; if he will place in the Library copies of responses sent to such representations; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: For the purpose of answering this question, various searches of the departmental correspondence system have been conducted. In relation to fuel poverty in the private rented sector and the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, it has been possible to search the records on correspondence with DECC Ministers with the case title “fuel poverty”. In the period since June 2013, 214 letters from hon. Members were given this case title. Providing the average time taken to reply to these letters would entail disproportionate cost. Providing copies of each reply would also entail disproportionate cost.
	An initial search of the correspondence system relating to “disconnections” of electricity and/or gas has not yielded reliable results. A more detailed subject search would entail disproportionate cost.
	Providing a response on the number of e-mail and telephone representations to the Department on these subjects would entail disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have had since June 2013 with utility companies on (i) the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and (iii) reducing fuel poverty; what response he received from each; what conclusions he reached on those responses; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have had with utility companies about reducing fuel poverty; which utility companies attended each such meeting; what response he received from each such utility company; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), DECC Ministers and officials have regular meetings with all the utility companies on a range of subjects, including fuel poverty.

Green Deal Scheme

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Green Deal assessments made, (b) Green Deal plans installed and billed and (c) energy company obligation measures installed in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Wales in each month since January 2013.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 22 November 2013
	The number of (a) green deal assessments made, and (c) energy company obligation measures installed by country up to the end of June 2013, were published on 19 September here
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-january-june-2013-statistics
	These are broken down by country by month in the following tables.
	Future quarterly releases will provide more detailed breakdowns on green deal plans.
	
		
			 Table (a): Number of green deal assessments, by country, by month 
			  England Wales Scotland Great Britain 
			 January 2013 61 12 0 73 
			 February 2013 1,676 51 3 1,727 
			 March 2013 7,111 313 67 7,424 
			 April 2013 8,816 428 278 9,244 
			 May 2013 11,241 591 314 11,832 
			 June 2013 12,187 690 640 12,877 
			      
			 Total 41,092 2,085 1,302 43,177 
		
	
	
		
			 Table (c) : Provisional number of ECO measures installed, by country, by month 
			  England Wales Scotland Great Britain 
			 October to December 2012 774 12 66 852 
			 January 2013 12,135 499 1,164 13,798 
			 February 2013 15,788 846 1,867 18,501 
			 March 2013 18,124 898 2,012 21,034 
			 April 2013 23,623 1,454 2,644 27,721 
			 May 2013 28,752 1,850 3,166 33,768 
			 June 2013 27,869 2,364 3,697 33,930 
			      
			 Unknown — — — 77 
			      
			 Total 127,065 7,923 14,616 149,681 
		
	
	Updates of geographical breakdowns of (a) green deal assessments lodged, and (c) energy company obligation measures installed up to the end of September 2013 will be published on 19 December.

Green Deal Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 575W, on the Green Deal Scheme, what assessment he has made of (a) progress in converting the 954 Green Deal plans into live energy efficiency measures installed and (b) the level of take up of Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: Our latest statistics show 1,173 households had Green Deal plans in progress at the end of October. Of this number, 219 homes have already had all of their measures installed (a total of 481 individual measures) and the rest are progressing through the system. The Green Deal is a 20-year programme, new markets take time to establish and we are still at an early stage in terms of the development of the Green Deal finance market, but we see this as an encouraging start.

Natural Gas: Storage

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the value of private sector investment in gas storage over the 10-year period from 2015; and how that estimate has changed since the decision in September 2013 not to offer public subsidy for gas storage; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: We published the consultant's report, commissioned to analyse the costs and benefits of three potential interventions, on 4 September 2013. This looked at the investment climate for storage out to 2030, to test investment potential with and without intervention in the market. The analysis found scope for commercial investment in fast cycle storage with no intervention by Government.
	It further showed that, while intervening to incentivise storage had the potential to make further investment economic, the costs of the interventions were greater than the value of the security of supply gained. In addition, any intervention runs a substantial risk of unintended consequences such as displacing investment from one part of the market to another.
	We have seen and continue to see new storage come forward from the market. Two new storage facilities have recently been built and two more are under construction, although as gas storage developments are commercial activities the precise value of this investment is a matter for the companies concerned.

Nuclear Power Stations

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to assure the general public that allowing overseas governments or state-owned companies a majority stake in UK nuclear power plants does not pose a risk to UK energy security.

Michael Fallon: As in many other industrial and service sectors, the UK energy sector is an open and liberalised market and we actively welcome overseas investment. The UK has already attracted significant levels of investment into the new nuclear build programme and we encourage this, recognising the global nature of this industry.
	Any potential nuclear operator is, and would be, subject to the same rigorous scrutiny through the established regulatory and legislative processes led by the UK's independent nuclear safety regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
	The UK's legal and regulatory framework provides a range of controls in terms of safe and secure operation, consumer protection, security of UK supply and enforcement of wider contractual obligations. Any investment proposal would also be assessed on competition grounds, EU law, and has to be consistent with the UK's national security.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether offices of (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Gregory Barker: Neither DECC nor its non-departmental public bodies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service.

Piper Alpha Inquiry

Frank Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of the inquiry into the Piper Alpha disaster.

Michael Fallon: The Piper Alpha inquiry concluded in 1990. The Department has checked internal records and with The National Archives, but we have been unable to locate any documents relating to the cost of the inquiry.

Renewable Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the amount of funding available through the 2020 Levy Control Framework which is required to meet obligations to existing and proposed projects in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales.

Michael Fallon: The Levy Control Framework totals for existing and proposed projects in the years 2015-16 to 2020-21 are as follows (in 2011-12 prices):
	
		
			  Totals for existing and proposed projects (£ billion) 
			 2015-16 4.30 
			 2016-17 4.90 
			 2017-18 5.60 
			 2018-19 6.45 
			 2019-20 7.00 
			 2020-21 7.60 
		
	
	We have not assessed where projects will be built on a geographical basis. However, the modelling conducted by National Grid (System Operator) that was published with the draft Delivery Plan Consultation on the 17 July 2013 (and will be updated and published with the final Delivery Plan in December) sets out how the Levy Control Framework amounts could be spent on different technologies. The National Grid report shows deployment in GW not in terms of £ million spent by technology.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department has shared with the Ground Source Heat Pump Association about data arising from the metering programme of heat pumps installed under the Renewable Heat Premium Scheme.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 21 November 2013
	We are able to review the preliminary data we are collecting and regularly do so for example for the purpose of identifying inaccurate readings. We agreed to publish some examples of this information in our response to your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (sent 8 November 2013).
	My officials have occasionally shown example preliminary data in presentations, for example at ground-source heat pump association conferences. We consider this a good opportunity to generate interest in the metering programme, including the installation of the metering equipment, and a forum that enables us to get feedback on the approach we are taking. The data's limitations can also be explained easily.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the oral evidence heard by the Energy and Climate Change Committee on 12 November 2013, HC 743, what evidence his Department holds that heat pumps perform to specification once installed in the UK.

Gregory Barker: Evidence to evaluate the in-use performance of heat pumps installed in the UK can be found in the Energy Saving Trust field trials, phase 1 results published in 2011 and phase 2 results published in May 2013.
	In phase 2, targeted improvements were made to the monitored installations which resulted in overall improvements in heat pump system efficiency. The findings of this research led to improvements to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme installation standard MIS 3005.
	We explained in our domestic RHI consultation document:
	“At the beginning of 2012, we started another heat pump metering programme in the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme to take a snapshot of heat pump performance. The preliminary data from this programme (which is still being verified) appears to indicate that on average there has been a measurable but modest improvement in the Seasonal Performance Factor. We think it is likely that on average the results will still be a long way off the high-performing systems that are consistently being measured in Germany.”

Renewable Energy: South West

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the renewable energy sector to new jobs and growth in the South West; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has made an assessment of employment and nominal sales growth in the renewable energy sector and its wider supply chain in the South West, and published this data in the Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services (LCEGS) report for 2011-12:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-and-environmental-goods-and-services-2011-to-2012
	The report estimates that, in 2011-12, 17,846 people were employed in the renewable energy sector and its wider supply chain in the South West. Estimates based on this report show that between 2010-11 and 2011-12 there was no employment growth in this sector in the South West. Nominal sales growth in the same period was 6% across the renewable energy sector and its supply chain, broken down as follows: biomass (5%), geothermal (5%), hydro (3%), photovoltaic (6%), renewable energy general consultancy (3%), wave and tidal (5%) and wind (7%).
	DECC has also estimated that, since 2010, £1,249 million of new private sector investment in renewable electricity has been announced with the potential to support 3,308 jobs in the South West of England:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/renewable-energy-delivering-green-jobs-growth-and-clean-energy

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent changes his Department has made to the renewable heat incentive scheme for biomass boilers; when his Department made such changes; and what consultation he undertook with (a) industry and (b) the public about such changes.

Gregory Barker: In relation to biomass boilers we announced a 5% reduction to the medium commercial biomass tariffs which took effect from 1 July. In September, we announced the introduction of emissions limits for biomass boilers.
	The tariff reduction to medium biomass tariffs was made under the cost-control mechanism for the non-domestic RHI scheme, which is set out in regulations. This degression-based system was introduced in April this year following the consultation ‘Renewable Heat Incentive: Providing certainty, improving performance’, which was published in July 2012 and is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/renewable-heat-incentive-providing-certainty-and-improving-performance
	It was always our intention to introduce emission limits to the RHI scheme, we announced what these limits would be in our policy document published in March 2011. These regulations came into force on 24 September this year. Prior to their introduction, we carried out two public consultations, in which we sought views before making them a part of the scheme. These consultations were:
	‘Renewable Heat Incentive: Consultation on the proposed RHI financial support Scheme’, published in February 2010, available at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100712173559/http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/rhi/rhi.aspx
	The outcome of this consultation is the March 2011 policy document referred to above.
	‘Renewable Heat Incentive: providing certainty and improving performance’, published in July 2012, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/43165/5883-rhi-certainty-performance-cons.pdf
	The response to this consultation was published in February 2013, ‘Government response to 'Providing Certainty, improving performance’, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/128679/Gov_response_to_non_domestic_July_2012_consultation_-_26_02_2013.pdf
	The domestic RHI scheme will launch in spring 2014. It will include support for eligible biomass-only boilers and biomass pellet stoves with integrated boilers. Following our announcement on 11 November, this support will also cover condensing biomass boilers:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/condensing-biomass-boilers-qualify-for-domestic-rhi
	The announcement came following the results of tests undertaken on behalf of DEFRA to look at the condensate discharged by condensing biomass boilers. The study was done with input from industry.

Telephone Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent representation he has received on revenue raised by energy companies through placing customers using 0845 and 0844 numbers on hold;
	(2)  what recent representation he has received on response times to 0844 and 0845 numbers used by (a) E.ON and (b) Scottish Power for (i) new sales and (ii) customer services.

Michael Fallon: The Department receives a number of representations concerning energy supply companies. The use of 0845 and 0844 telephone numbers is a commercial matter for companies themselves and therefore the Department does not hold the information requested.

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Gregory Barker: The cost of UK travel and subsistence between 2010 and period ending September 2013 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £000 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Hire car (inc. taxis) 227 134 63 34 
			 Accommodation n/a n/a 212 115 
			 Subsistence 118 44 63 19 
			 All other travel 344 411 583 294 
			 Total 689 589 921 462 
			 Notes: 1. The Department does not hire helicopters 2. Accommodation costs cannot be separately identified for 2010-12.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department contributes to the Warm Homes scheme.

Gregory Barker: Government do not provide energy suppliers with the funding for the warm home discount scheme. The energy suppliers are required by law to provide assistance with energy costs to low income and vulnerable households. Over four years (from April 2011 to March 2015) the assistance provided will be worth over £1.1 billion. Annual spending targets are set out in the warm home discount regulations 2011.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications in (a) Birmingham and (b) West Midlands for assistance under the Warm Homes discount scheme which were (i) accepted and (ii) rejected in 2012-13.

Gregory Barker: Regional data is not available for the number of people applying for or receiving assistance under the warm home discount.
	In 2012-13, an overall total of 1,157,879 pensioners received a core group rebate of £130 under the warm home discount scheme across Great Britain
	Inevitably, some pensioners who contacted the call centre were not found to be eligible for the scheme under the rules established through regulations. In 2012-13 there were 14,249 such cases.
	In addition to the core group rebates in 2012-13, 489,494 low income and vulnerable households received a £130 rebate by applying to their energy supplier under the broader group. Suppliers do not report how many people are unsuccessful as part of that process. Furthermore, 966,823 customers received bill support under the legacy spending elements of the scheme.
	A full annual report on the operation of warm home discount in 2012-13 has been published by Ofgem and is available at:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/warm-home-discount-annual-report-scheme-year-2

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have had since June 2013 with their counterparts in (i) HM Treasury and (ii) other Government departments on the operation of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), Ministers and officials have regular contact with counterparts from other Government Departments including Her Majesty's Treasury on a range of issues, including fuel poverty. In particular the Secretary of State discussed and agreed with Cabinet colleagues the changes we have subsequently proposed to the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act that will put in place a new target for fuel poverty.

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made since June 2013 of the operation of (a) section one and (b) section two of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000; what representations he has received since June 2013 on the operation of that Act; and what responses he gave to such representations.

Gregory Barker: Last year, the Government consulted on changing the framework for measuring fuel poverty, including whether the proposed change in the fuel poverty definition had any implications for the legislative framework as set out in the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. We have since concluded that a new framework is needed and in July we proposed amendments to the Act that will see us set out, through secondary legislation, a new target to address fuel poverty. The amendments maintain the requirement to have in place a strategy to achieve that objective.
	The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), receives a wide range of stakeholder representations and regularly discusses a range of issues relating to fuel poverty. For example, the Secretary of State attended a Fuel Poverty Advisory Group workshop in October, and while there discussed a number of issue relevant to the development of the new fuel poverty strategy.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Experiments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to page 10 of Home Office Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2011, HC345, how many of the 795 other carnivores listed in the table on page 20 were badgers.

Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Home Office statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2011 details scientific procedures by species of animal and primary purpose of the procedure. Of the 795 scientific procedures on ‘other carnivores’ in Great Britain 2011, 317 involved badgers.

Biodiversity

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of water abstraction rates from rivers on levels of ecological biodiversity.

Dan Rogerson: Over the last four years the Environment Agency has completed more than 1,350 desk-top assessments of surface water bodies in England. More detailed investigations of approximately 1,000 surface water bodies have been undertaken where flows may not be supporting the appropriate ecological biodiversity.
	Recent assessments indicate that flows in some 14% of river water bodies in England may not support Good Ecological Status due to the effects of abstraction. Investigations have concluded that an additional 4% of heavily modified river water bodies in England are not supporting Good Ecological Potential due to alterations to the natural flow regime downstream of reservoirs.

Birds: Conservation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what help his Department provides to farmers to enable them to retain and enhance habitat, to increase the number of birds in the countryside.

George Eustice: To help retain and enhance habitats important to farmland birds, farmers may apply for Environmental Stewardship, which currently funds a range of environmental management options of benefit to farmland birds. Additional scheme options to help farmland birds were introduced from 1 January 2013, including supplementary feeding over the winter, to help them through the 'hungry gap' when berries and seeds are scarce.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 284, if he will commission new research to demonstrate whether gassing can be proven to be safe, humane and effective; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: As set out in our draft “Strategy for achieving officially free bovine tuberculosis-free status for England”, further research into alternative population control methods (e.g. sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes investigating the potential use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling.
	No new research has been commissioned at this stage.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 284, on bovine tuberculosis, what evidence he is considering as part of his consideration on the use of gassing; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Further research into alternative population control methods (e.g. sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This might include an investigation into the potential use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling.
	Licences to use any other method of badger control will not be granted without scientific evidence of the effectiveness (both in terms of its ability to correctly identify and remove infected badgers) and humaneness of such an approach.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many badgers have been culled by (a) shooting and (b) cage trapping to date; and what estimate he has made of the (i) cost of shooting, (ii) cost of cage trapping, (iii) total cost to his Department of the badger cull pilots and (iv) total cost of the initial pilots and each subsequent extension.

George Eustice: The statements made by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson) to the House on 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 23-24WS, 17 October 2013, Official Report, columns 64-65WS, and 5 November 2013, Official Report, columns 10-11WS, provide details of the number of badgers removed in each pilot area during the initial six-week period and during the three-week extension in Somerset. We will update the House on the number of badgers removed in Gloucestershire during the extension there once it has concluded. Further details on the method used to remove badgers will be released in due course once analysed by the independent expert panel. The 2011 Impact Assessment remains the most recent estimate prepared on the costs of the pilots, including the relative cost of each control method.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what use his Department makes of the Brock Test to test for tuberculosis in badgers; what the cost is of such testing; and how long the process takes.

George Eustice: The Brock Test is a previously used antibody test for badgers but is no longer available. We now use the similar StatPak antibody test.
	The StatPak test is used for research purposes by DEFRA and its agencies, and some wildlife charities use it to test orphaned badger cubs. It is specific, but not very sensitive, meaning it misses around half of the truly infected animals. On the other hand, a positive is likely to be a true positive. It is quick to run, and can be used sett-side.
	If blood can be taken from a conscious animal, the cost of such testing would be approximately the same as cage trapping and vaccination, or £2,500 per square kilometre, as both procedures need trapping. If this is not possible, it would cost significantly more.

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many direct employees and contracted workers of his Department and its arm's lengths bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage; and how many direct employees are on zero hours contracts.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA has no direct employees paid less than the living wage. No core DEFRA employees are on zero-hours contracts. For contracted workers, current contracts do not specify the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, but this is under review. Core DEFRA has an estimated 24 contracted workers who are paid less than the living wage.
	Information for DEFRA's Executive agencies and arm’s length bodies could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into (a) whether a captive bolt gun is a humane way to put down dogs and (b) whether its use for this purpose should be banned.

George Eustice: There are no plans to commission research into, or ban, the use of captive bolt guns on dogs. It is preferable that a dog is euthanised by a veterinary surgeon using an overdose of barbiturates. However, occasionally there will be situations where this method may not be possible, in which case alternative methods must be available. However, any method used must be humane as required by the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will consider bringing forward legislative proposals to (a) fully regulate the use of captive bolt guns and (b) license the device for putting down dogs.

George Eustice: The Government do not consider it is necessary to regulate or licence the use of captive bolt guns with dogs. It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (AWA) to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. If anyone considers that someone has caused unnecessary suffering to a dog by using a captive bolt gun they can report the matter to the local authority or the RSPCA who can investigate and take action as necessary under the AWA powers.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Dan Rogerson: The sustainability performance of core DEFRA can be found in annex 1, section A of the annual report and account for 2012-13 from page 183.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224329/defra-year-end-accounts2012-13.pdf
	This includes narrative on energy efficiency initiatives undertaken in DEFRA's buildings. It also includes charts which show the Department's year-on-year reductions in energy use.

Farms: Buildings

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce an agri-food loan scheme to help the farming industry invest in boiler houses.

George Eustice: There are no plans to introduce an agri-food loan scheme to help the farming industry invest in boiler houses.
	Assistance to help with boiler installations is currently available through the non-domestic renewable heat incentive (RHI). This is a Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) scheme that supports biomass installations, biogas combustion and biomethane injection to the grid. We do not have deployment figures specific to agriculture under the scheme.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether offices of (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Dan Rogerson: Neither core DEFRA, nor any of its Executive agencies, has access to Sky Sports or any other premium sports television services.

Plants: Disease Control

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to safeguard plants and trees from the threat of disease in (a) the UK and (b) the North East.

Dan Rogerson: In the UK plant health is a devolved issue. We are working closely with the devolved Administrations to ensure a joined up approach to addressing the threat of pests and diseases. Last week the Secretary of State introduced new restrictions on the importation and movement of sweet chestnut and plane trees, and tighter notification requirements for pine trees imported to England. The Scottish Government has introduced parallel legislation. We will be responding shortly to the recommendations of the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce, which reported in May 2013, setting out our approach to safeguarding plants from the threat of pests and diseases. In the meantime, we are taking forward work on two of the taskforce's key recommendations:
	development of a prioritised risk register for plant pests and diseases; and
	improving our approach to contingency planning.
	The Forestry Commission has recently appointed a tree health officer specifically for Yorkshire and the north-east to give extra field-level support across the range of tree diseases.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Atos Origin

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how much his Department spent on contracts with Atos in each year since 2008.

Oliver Heald: The information requested is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Atos contracts: Expenditure 
			 £ 
			  Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol)(1) HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate(2) Serious Fraud Office 
			 2008-09 96,404 41 365 — 
			 2009-10 148,945 — 968 — 
			 2010-11 164,279 — 1,059 6,294 
			 2011-12 137,583 — — 4,492 
			 2012-13 164,892 — — 4,382 
			 2013-14(3) 119,163 — — 2,632 
			 (1 )TSol data also covers the Attorney-General's Office. (2 )These amounts were paid by the CPS and recharged to HMCPSI. (3 )2013-14 expenditure to date.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted for breach of a domestic violence injunction in each year since 2010; and what information he holds on the number of breaches of such orders.

Oliver Heald: The only civil remedy for protecting victims of domestic violence, breach of which is a criminal offence, is a non-molestation order, which is designed to prohibit a person from doing or continuing to do certain acts. The breach of a non-molestation order without a reasonable excuse has been a criminal offence under section 42A of the Family Law Act 1996 since 1 July 2007.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds data for the number of charged offences reaching a hearing in the magistrates courts. The numbers of charged offences since 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			 Family Law Act 1996 (42A(1)and(5)) 
			  Number of charged offences 
			 2010 5,501 
			 2011 5,542 
			 2012 5,554 
			 2013(1) 5,136 
			 (1) January to October 2013. 
		
	
	The CPS hold no central data on the number of defendants prosecuted, the final outcome of cases involving one or more charges under the Family Law Act 1996, or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time the case was finalised.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Attorney-General what progress he has made on improving the energy efficiency of the Law Officers' Departments.

Oliver Heald: Since the introduction of the Greening Government targets in 2011 and compared to the baseline of 2009-10, the Law Officers' Departments have already reduced their carbon emissions by 24% against a target of 25% by March 2015. This has been achieved through the reduction in the size of our estate and various energy efficiency measures including boiler replacement and improved energy monitoring systems.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Attorney-General whether offices of (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) its executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Oliver Heald: Through its subscription to the Parliamentary Television Service, the Attorney-General's Office (AGO) has access to two Sky Sports channels.
	The AGO has no control over the channels to which it has access via this service and subscribes to the Parliamentary Television Service to watch debates, select committee hearings and to monitor news channels.
	The AGO does not pay an additional fee for access to these channels over the cost to the Parliamentary Television Service subscription.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments do not have any access to Sky Sports or any other premium sports television services.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce the outcome of her consultation on a ban on the use of animals for testing household products.

Norman Baker: holding answer 21 November 2013
	The Government made a Coalition commitment to end the testing of household products on animals and I am keen to take this forward. I am presently consulting with ministerial colleagues and intend to make a statement early in the new year.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986: Wales

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many (a) genetically-modified animals and (b) animals with a harmful genetic defect were used in regulated procedures conducted in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2012;
	(2)  how many regulated procedures were carried out under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales in 2012;
	(3)  how many places in Wales were designated as a (a) supplying establishment, (b) breeding establishment and (c) scientific procedure establishment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 at the end of 2012;
	(4)  what proportion of project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Wales was in the (a) mild, (b) moderate, (c) substantial and (d) unclassified severity banding at the end of 2012;
	(5)  what proportion of procedures regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which were carried out in Wales, was conducted without anaesthesia in 2012;
	(6)  how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were recorded in Wales in 2012; and how many such infringements led to a prosecution;
	(7)  how many project licences were granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2010; and how many such project licences were in force at the end of 2012 in respect of work to be carried out in Wales;
	(8)  what proportion of regulated procedures conducted in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were carried out for (a) fundamental and applied studies other than toxicity and (b) toxicity tests or other safety and efficacy evaluation in 2012;
	(9)  how many (a) mice, (b) rats, (c) guinea pigs, (d) hamsters, (e) rabbits, (f) horses and other equids, (g) sheep, (h) pigs, (i) birds, (j) amphibians, (k) reptiles, (l) fish, (m) cats, (n) dogs, (o) new world primates and (p) old world primates were used in regulated procedures conducted in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2012;
	(10)  how many regulated procedures conducted in Wales in 2012 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involved (a) mice, (b) rats, (c) guinea pigs, (d) hamsters, (e) rabbits, (f) horses and other equids, (g) sheep, (h) pigs, (i) birds, (j) amphibians, (k) reptiles, (l) fish, (m) cats, (n) dogs, (o) new world primates and (p) old world primates in 2012; and how many such procedures involved (i) genetically-modified animals and (ii) animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(11)  what proportion of regulated procedures conducted in Wales under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2012 were performed in (a) public health laboratories, (b) universities and medical schools, (c) NHS hospitals, (d) Government Departments, (e) other public bodies, (f) non-profit-making organisations and (g) commercial organisations.

James Brokenshire: In 2010, the Government made a commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research in “Coalition: our programme for Government”. The Coalition commitment is not concerned with just baseline numbers, but encompasses the replacement, refinement and reduction (3Rs) more broadly, putting them at the heart of a science-led approach.
	We intend to publish a Delivery Plan later this year that will set out how the Government is supporting and encouraging these advances and the programmes and policies through which Government will continue to deliver its commitment. The consequence will be accelerated take-up of the 3Rs—both domestically and internationally—set on the tenets of good science, good animal welfare and good for the UK and economic growth.
	I have placed copies of the latest annual statistics on animal procedures in Great Britain 2012 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in the House Library and it is available from the Home Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2012
	The following statistics reflect the returns under project licences where the primary availability is in Wales under the authorities of these licences. Returns reported for Wales could therefore include statistics for animals used at additional availabilities at other establishments not in Wales, or work at non-licensed places, also not in Wales.
	In 2012 in Wales, regarding the number of animals used in regulated procedures conducted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA):
	(a) 24,220 genetically modified animals were used;
	(b) 9,803 animals with a harmful genetic defect were used.
	During 2012 in Wales, 85,892 regulated procedures were carried out under ASPA.
	At the end of 2012 in Wales, there were six designated establishments under ASPA. There were:
	(a) one designated as a combined scientific procedures, breeding and supplying establishment;
	(b) two designated as combined scientific procedures and breeding establishments;
	(c) three designated solely as scientific procedures establishments.
	At the end of 2012 in Wales, regarding the severity of project licences granted under ASPA:
	(a) 54% were in the mild severity banding;
	(b) 44% were in the moderate severity banding;
	(c) 1% were in the substantial banding;
	(d) none were in the unclassified severity banding.
	During 2012 in Wales, 77% of procedures regulated under ASPA were conducted without anaesthesia.
	During 2012 in Wales, one infringement of ASPA was recorded, which did not result in prosecution.
	During 2010, 515 project licences were granted under ASPA in the United Kingdom of which eight were granted at designated establishments in Wales. All of these eight licences were still in force on 31 December 2012.
	During 2012 in Wales, regarding the proportion of regulated procedures conducted under ASPA:
	(a) all were carried out for fundamental and applied studies other than toxicity;
	(b) none were carried out for toxicity tests or other safety and efficacy evaluation.
	During 2012 in Wales, regarding the number of animals used in regulated procedures under ASPA:
	(a) 48,850 mice were used;
	(b) 4,206 rats were used;
	(c) 237 guinea pigs were used;
	(d) no hamsters were used;
	(e) no rabbits were used;
	(f) no horses and other equids were used;
	(g) 465 sheep were used;
	(h) no pigs were used;
	(i) 454 birds were used;
	(j) 153 amphibians were used;
	(k) no reptiles were used;
	(l) 30,942 fish were used;
	(m) two cats were used;
	(n) no dogs were used;
	(o) no new world primates were used;
	(p) no old world primates were used.
	During 2012 in Wales, regarding the number of regulated procedures conducted under ASPA:
	(a) 48,850 involved mice, of which:
	(i) 23,981 involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) 9,803 involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(b) 4,206 involved rats, of which:
	(i) 239 involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(c) 237 involved guinea pigs, of which:
	(i) none involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(d) none involved hamsters;
	(e) none involved rabbits;
	(f) none involved horses and other equids;
	(g) 495 involved sheep, of which:
	(i) none involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(h) none involved pigs;
	(i) 454 involved birds, of which:
	(i) none involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(j) none involved amphibians;
	(k) none involved reptiles;
	(l) 30,942 regulated procedures were conducted involving fish, of which:
	(i) none involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(m) two regulated procedures were conducted involving cats, of which:
	(i) none involved genetically-modified animals;
	(ii) none involved animals with a harmful genetic defect;
	(n) none involved dogs;
	(o) none involved new world primates;
	(p) none involved old world primates.
	During 2012 in Wales, regarding the proportion of regulated procedures conducted in different types of establishment under ASPA:
	(a) 2% were performed in public health laboratories;
	(b) 98% were performed in universities and medical schools;
	(c) none were performed in NHS hospitals;
	(d) none were performed in Government Departments;
	(e) none were performed in other public bodies;
	(f) none were performed in non-profit making organisations;
	(g) none were performed in commercial organisations.

Asylum: Iran

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of failed asylum seekers from Iran resident in Merseyside.

Mark Harper: holding answer 25 October 2013
	We can confirm there are 200 failed Iranian asylum seekers with the following five Merseyside local authorities:
	Liverpool;
	Sefton;
	Knowlsey;
	Wirral; and
	St Helens.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources are available to the police when investigating deaths overseas.

Damian Green: The majority of Government funding for the police is allocated using the Police Allocation Formula (PAF). No consideration of investigating deaths oversees is made by the PAF. The allocation of resources within each force is a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in consultation with the Chief Constable. PCCs are able to apply for a Special Grant if they face an unexpected event which requires significant resources.

Disabled Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of employees in her Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office data on disability cannot be broken down into physical or learning disability. Data showing the proportion of disabled and non-disabled staff by pay scale is in the following table:
	
		
			 Data to end of October 2013 
			 Percentage 
			 Disability target 1. AA-AO 2. EO 3. HEO-SEO 4. G7-G6 5. SCS PB1 6. SCS PB2+ All SCS All staff total 
			 Disabled 10.57 8.72 8.82 6.30 6.15 5.00 5.88 9.11 
			 Non-disabled 89.43 91.28 91.18 93.70 93.85 95.00 94.12 90.89

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many specialist domestic abuse officers there are in each police force; and how many such officers were in post in each force in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Employment Tribunals Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against her Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against her Department.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office reporting systems do not report on maternity/pregnancy related claims specifically. Instead all gender related claims are grouped together under the terminology of sex discrimination. The number of claims for sex discrimination over the past five years can be found in the following table.
	Over the past five years no sex discrimination cases were upheld against the Home Office.
	
		
			 Sex discrimination cases by year 
			  Total 
			 2008 1 
			 2009 4 
			 2010 10 
			 2011 9 
			 2012 9 
			 2013 5 
			 Total 38

Entry Clearances

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will extend the fast-track visa service for business people from emerging economies to business people from developed economies which invest in the UK.

Mark Harper: UK Visas and Immigration have already extended premium services to 67 countries around the globe (list of countries follows). All these countries offer a charged priority visa service which has a service standard of three to five days to receive a decision on the application.
	Albania
	Canada
	Holland
	Kosovo
	Norway
	Serbia
	Trinidad and Tobago
	Algeria
	China
	Hungary
	Kuwait
	Oman
	Singapore
	Turkey
	Australia
	Columbia
	India
	Latvia
	Pakistan
	South Africa
	UAE
	Austria
	Czech Republic
	Indonesia
	Lebanon
	Peru
	South Korea
	Uganda
	Bahrain
	Denmark
	Ireland
	Libya
	Philippines
	Sri Lanka
	Ukraine
	Bangladesh
	Egypt
	Italy
	Malaysia
	Poland
	Sweden
	USA
	Belgium
	Ethiopia
	Jamaica
	Moldova
	Qatar
	Switzerland
	Vietnam
	Bolivia
	France
	Japan
	New Zealand
	Romania
	Taiwan
	Brazil
	Germany
	Jordan
	Nepal
	Russia
	Tanzania
	Brunei
	Ghana
	Kenya
	Nigeria
	Saudi Arabia
	Thailand
	Priority visa provision in Australia and New Zealand is for settlement only.
	We plan to expand our provision to over 90 locations by spring 2014.

Entry Clearances: Iran

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the facility for issuing visas in Tehran to Iranians to recommence.

Mark Harper: Home Office officials are in regular contact with colleagues from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding the current situation in Iran and the closure of the Visa Application Centre (VAC) for security reasons remains under review. The VAC was housed in the British embassy in Tehran, and should the embassy reopen, we will consider reopening the VAC.
	Any applicant wishing to submit an application for a visit visa can apply at any Visa Application Centre worldwide. When the VAC in Tehran was closed, seven VACs were designated for Iranian nationals to apply for any category of entry clearance. These were our two VACs in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and our five VACs in Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and Gaziantep).

Homicide

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to issue a new model guidance following the findings of Domestic Homicide Review: Common themes identified as lessons to be learned.

Norman Baker: On 19 November, we published ‘Domestic Homicide Review: Common themes identified as lessons to be learned’.
	This document, available on the Home Office website and in the House Library, sets out common themes that have arisen from the first 54 Domestic Homicide Reviews that have been considered by the Home Office Quality Assurance Panel.

Human Rights

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on legal advice, representation and support in third party claims brought against the Department under the Human Rights Act 1998 since that Act entered into force.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office deals with thousands of cases every year and litigants frequently rely on arguments based wholly or partly on the Human Rights Act 1998. In most cases, the 1998 Act is relied on in addition to other claims.
	The Treasury Solicitor’s Department’s records do not, historically, distinguish between cases where the 1998 Act is invoked and cases where it is not. Consequently, it is not possible to indicate how much the Department has spent on legal advice, representation and support in such cases.

Immigrants: Public Sector

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the amount that will be raised by the proposed introduction of charges for migrants for access to public services (a) in the first year of such a scheme and (b) in each subsequent year.

Mark Harper: The Immigration Bill plans to introduce a health surcharge for certain types of non-EEA migrants. The income generated from the surcharge is estimated to be around £230 million per year in the first year and in each subsequent year.
	The Impact Assessment for this policy sets out which non-EEA migrants will be affected and how the estimated income is calculated. The Impact Assessment can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251972/Health_impact_assessment.pdf

Immigration

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on passing comment on individual cases where there is a genuine and legitimate public interest in those cases.

Mark Harper: It is the general policy of the Home Office not to disclose to a third party personal information about another person's immigration status unless there is a substantial public interest in doing so. In cases where there is a genuine and legitimate public interest in disclosure, we will comment to the extent necessary. This is underpinned by the first data protection principle, which allows for the disclosure of non-sensitive personal data for the exercise of functions of a public nature in the public interest.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under which budgetary heading her Department is funding the expansion of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Damian Green: We intend to transfer resources from police forces to the Independent Police Complaints Commission to enable it to deal with all serious and sensitive cases involving the police.

Members: Correspondence

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan dated 31 May, 21 August and 24 October 2013 relating to overseas recruitment for Scotland's universities and colleges.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the hon. Member separately on this individual case on 19 November 2013.

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of domestic travel by representatives of her Department was (a) in total, (b) on hire cars, (c) on helicopter hire, (d) on hotel accommodation and (e) on subsistence in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 22 November 2013
	The information on the cost of domestic travel made by representatives of the Department in each year since 2010 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

UK Border Force: Dorset

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed by the UK Border Force in (a) Poole constituency and (b) Dorset.

Mark Harper: Border Force employs 47 members of staff in the Poole constituency who also cover Dorset. The 47 border force staff are deployed, from Poole, to the ports and airports in the Dorset area.

DEFENCE

Army

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers aged under 18, both in training and in the trained strength, have (a) been hospitalised for injuries and (b) died in the last three years.

Anna Soubry: While the Ministry of Defence does not necessarily hold data for all hospital admissions, we are aware that between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012, 22 soldiers under the age of 18 have been admitted to hospital. Nine of these were admitted on an in-patient basis. It has not been possible to identify whether the remaining 13 were for an in-patient or out-patient appointment.
	In the same period, three soldiers aged under 18 have died. This figure covers all causes of death: hostile action, accidents, natural causes, assaults, coroner confirmed suicides or open verdicts and cause not yet known.

Army: Bullying

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents of beasting or other bullying among army personnel have been reported in each of the last 10 years; and in how many such incidents the (a) alleged victims and (b) alleged aggressors were under 18 at the time of their enlistment.

Anna Soubry: Bullying or beasting is not tolerated in the Ministry of Defence and when an allegation is made it is fully investigated.
	Allegations may be reported through a variety of routes including via the chain of command, to the Royal Military Police, to the Service Complaints Commissioner who provides a rigorous and independent oversight of how the complaints system is working, or through the Speak Out helpline, which was set up three years ago to provide personnel with a confidential avenue to report complaints. Information on the total number of incidents investigated in each of the last 10 years, or the ages of the alleged victims or aggressors, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Qualifications

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits enlisting at Harrogate Army Foundation College in each of the last five years held (a) English GCSE, (b) mathematics GCSE and (c) 5 or more GCSE qualifications at any grade.

Anna Soubry: Details, by financial year (FY), of recruits who enlisted at Harrogate Army Foundation College with GCSE qualifications are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 GCSE(1) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 to date 
			 English 100 90 90 130 70 140 
			 Mathematics 760 780 490 640 730 580 
			 5 or more GCSEs at any grade 600 540 300 380 480 430 
			 (1) All figures have been rounded to 10. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Army: Qualifications

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enlisted soldiers who were not commissioned officers gained GCSEs in (a) English and (b) mathematics while serving in the infantry in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such soldiers gained GCSEs in (i) English and (ii) mathematics within four years of their enlisting.

Anna Soubry: The numbers of enlisted soldiers who gained GCSEs in English or mathematics while serving in the infantry in each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  English Mathematics 
			 2009 — — 
			 2010 — — 
			 2011 — — 
			 2012 — — 
			 2013 10 10 
		
	
	Of these, the following numbers gained their GCSEs within four years of enlistment:
	
		
			  English Mathematics 
			 2009 — — 
			 2010 — — 
			 2011 — — 
			 2012 — — 
			 2013 10 10 
			 Note: Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. ‘—’ denotes zero or figures of less than ‘5’ which have been rounded to zero.

Army: Qualifications

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enlisted soldiers who were not commissioned officers gained GCSEs in (a) English and (b) mathematics while serving in the army in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many such people gained GCSEs in (i) English and (ii) mathematics within four years of their enlisting.

Anna Soubry: holding answer 21 November 2013
	The numbers of enlisted soldiers who gained GCSEs in English or mathematics in each of the last five years are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  English Mathematics 
			 2009 20 10 
			 2010 10 10 
			 2011 10 20 
			 2012 20 10 
			 2013 20 20 
		
	
	Of these, the following numbers gained their GCSEs within four years of enlistment:
	
		
			  English Mathematics 
			 2009 10 10 
			 2010 — — 
			 2011 — 10 
			 2012 — — 
			 2013 10 10 
			 Notes: 1. The data have been rounded to limit disclosure and ensure confidentiality. 2. Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘5’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 3. ‘—’ denotes zero or rounded to zero.

Army: Recruitment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army recruits were (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18 or above at the point of their enlistment during the financial year (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: The age of army recruits at the point of their enlistment is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Rank Officer 
			 Intake to untrained strength(1 )by financial year (FY) FY 2012-13 FY 2013-14 to 30 September 2013 FY 2012-13 FY 2013-14 to 30 September 2013 
			 Total 9,440 3,640 620 360 
			 16 970 470 — — 
			 17 1,330 600 — — 
			 18 and over 7,140 2,570 620 360 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not be the sum of their parts. Source: Defence Statistics (Army) 
		
	
	Figures in the annual report are currently being revised and will be published on Tuesday 26 November 2013.

Army: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recruits at AFC Harrogate were training for roles in the infantry in each of the last four years.

Anna Soubry: The number of recruits being trained at AFC Harrogate for Infantry roles in each of the last four years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year(1) Number of recruits 
			 2009-10 540 
			 2010-11 860 
			 2011-12 910 
			 2012-13 560 
			 (1) 'Posted Unit' from Joint Personnel Administration has been used to identify those at AFC Harrogate. Note/caveat: Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not be the sum of their parts. Source: Defence Statistics (Army)

Defence Equipment and Support

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made during his Department's consideration of a possible transfer of the Defence Equipment and Support organisation to GOCO status of the characteristics and freedoms of the DE&S Plus model that differentiate it from the status quo.

Philip Dunne: The Defence Equipment and Support Plus (DE&S+) proposal is currently being developed and as the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), said in his written statement on 19 November 2013, Official Report, columns 44-5WS, we expect the detailed proposal to be evaluated alongside the Government Owned Contractor Operated bid shortly.

Defence: Procurement

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of expenditure on defence procurement contracts valued in excess of £5 million was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in the South West in each of the last three years.

Philip Dunne: It is not possible accurately to provide the proportion of expenditure of defence procurement contracts valued in excess of £5 million placed with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the South West without incurring disproportionate cost.
	However, expenditure that can be indentified as with SMEs in the South West is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year South West SME Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2010-11 58.1 
			 2011-12 34.9 
			 2012-13 25.9 
		
	
	This analysis is based on expenditure with companies positively identified as SMEs who have a billing address in the South West geographic region. It does not include payments made on behalf of other Government Departments, by Ministry of Defence Trading Funds and executive non departmental public bodies, locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments, in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments, or by Government Procurement Card.

NATO

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the NATO Standardised Agreement 1100.

Philip Dunne: I will not place a copy of NATO Standardised Agreement 1100 in the Library of the House. NATO regulations state that
	“only individuals, bodies or organisations that require it for official NATO purposes may have access”
	to documents of this type.

Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the review of Ministry of Defence Police and Defence Fire and Rescue Service pensions will include examination of the MDP Net Pay Deduction;
	(2)  which stakeholders were consulted as part of the review of Ministry of Defence Police and Defence Fire and Rescue Service pensions.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for International Security Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), on 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 549W, to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Gemma Doyle). The Department has consulted with the relevant trade unions while preparing this report.
	The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) Net Pay Deduction is not part of the current Ministry of Defence review of MDP and Defence Fire and Rescue Services pensions, but is under review as part of the wider review of MDP terms and conditions due to conclude in spring 2014.

Reserve Forces: South West

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of efforts to recruit new Army reservists in (a) Poole constituency, (b) Dorset and (c) the South West.

Anna Soubry: The Army has just started a new recruiting initiative in order to grow the size of the Army Reserve to 30,000 by 2018. The Army is actively recruiting across the country including in the south west.
	In order to kick-start the recruitment process the Army is running a range of attraction events. In the week ending 15 November 2013 there have been over 80 such events in the south west which included Army engagement team events in Poole, Bristol and Taunton.
	In addition, as the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) said on 20 November 2013, Official Report, column 1319, a number of pilot projects are also under way to trial different approaches to determine the most effective way not just to recruit Reservists but to convert them to trained strength as rapidly as possible. Once these pilot projects conclude in December the successful projects will be rolled out across the country.

Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many options were submitted to the Government before the decision to close Portsmouth's ship-building facility.

Philip Dunne: The 2009 Terms of Business Agreement requires BAE Systems (BAES) to rationalise its shipbuilding business in line with the predicted future workload. The company considered a number of scenarios, utilising external advisers to assist. As internal company business, these scenarios were not formally submitted to the Ministry of Defence (MOD), as the final decision on how to rationalise its business was a matter for the company.
	Detailed discussions between the MOD and BAES focused on only one scenario, the company's preferred option, to focus complex warship building on the Clyde.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade;
	(2)  what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil Service pay grade;
	(3)  what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is an equal opportunities employer which is committed to meeting its obligations under the relevant legislation. Information held by the Department on civilian gender and declared ethnicity by pay grade as at 1 October 2013 is presented in the following table. However, information on the proportion of civilian employees with a declared disability is not currently available, following redefinition of the reporting categories in 2011 to facilitate alignment with revised census definitions. The number of staff who have subsequently made a disability declaration is not yet sufficient to enable valid reporting of disability representation rates.
	
		
			 MOD civilian staff at each broader banded pay grade by gender and declared ethnicity 
			 Percentage 
			  Female Male Black and minority ethnicity White 
			 Core MOD total 37.3 62.7 3.8 96.2 
			      
			 Non-industrial 41.5 58.5 4.1 95.9 
			 SCS 22.3 77.7 — — 
			 Band B 28.2 71.8 3.7 96.3 
			 Band C 33.4 66.6 3.7 96.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Band D 40.6 59.4 3.5 96.5 
			 Band E 52.3 47.7 4.8 95.2 
			      
			 Industrial 15.1 84.9 2.4 97.6 
			 Skill zones 1 to 4 16.9 83.1 2.5 97.5 
			 Other industrials 1.6 98.4 2.2 97.8 
			 ‘—‘ denotes percentage not given, reflecting departmental policy that base values less than or equal to 5 should not be disclosed. Notes: 1. Ethnicity figures are based on active self-declaration and exclude personnel who have either not responded or who have actively chosen not to declare. 2. Figures exclude all Trading Fund personnel, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians. 3. White' includes all personnel with a self-declared status of White. 'British White' is a nationality category which cannot be separately identified within the Department's self-declared ethnicity data. 
		
	
	The MOD publishes a biannual breakdown of diversity statistics which contains a wide-ranging analysis across all diversity categories. The next publication is due on 28 November 2013, and a link to this series can be found at the following web address:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/combined/diversity-dashboard

Type 23 Frigates: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider a workshare approach to retain the existing proportion of Type 23 work in Portsmouth.

Philip Dunne: Major packages of upkeep work for Royal Navy warships are allocated by the Surface Ship Support Alliance, an alliance between the Ministry of Defence (MOD), BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships and Babcock Marine. These allocations are based on what is best for the maritime enterprise as a whole, taking account of factors such as industrial capacity, past performance and the ability to meet Royal Navy crew harmony guidelines. In allocating major upkeep work, the aim is to balance work across the surface fleet as a whole, rather than by each individual class of ship.
	On current plans, this will mean that although the majority of future upkeep work on the Type 23 Frigates will be carried out at Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport, the work schedule agreed to date for HMNB Portsmouth includes upkeeps on HMS Westminster, three Type 45 Destroyers, and five Hunt Class minesweepers. Further upkeeps to be undertaken at HMNB Portsmouth will be scheduled in due course.

World War I

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to provide financial assistance in order to locate and identify the bodies of missing soldiers from the First World War in France.

Anna Soubry: The UK Government discourages the disturbance of battlefields where human remains may be present and do not authorise speculative searches of such sites. However, when bodies of missing service personnel from the First World War are discovered, the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) will try to identify the body and contact the next of kin. The JCCC will then organise at public expense an appropriate burial in the nearest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the country in which the remains are found. If they are unable to identify the remains, they will be buried as “Known unto God”.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Government Assistance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has undertaken into international examples of models of (a) advice provision and (b) funding for micro businesses.

Matthew Hancock: We repeatedly assess the adequacy of advice provision and compare internationally. To help develop the Small Business document we will publish in December, we have reviewed models of business support in some other industrialised countries through desk research and interviews with policy officials in those countries.
	Although we review regularly international examples of access to finance models relating to small and medium sized businesses, we have not commissioned specific research on international models of finance for micro businesses.

Conditions of Employment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to protect the rights of employees subject to zero-hour contracts.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced that a consultation will take place shortly on zero hours contracts. This consultation will seek views on the issues identified following an information gathering exercise undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills during the summer.
	The consultation will seek views on both legislative and non-legislative proposals.

Copyright: Arts

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the scale of monthly imports from China of copies of goods for which intellectual property protection is intended to be introduced through the implementation of section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.

Jo Swinson: No such assessment has been made.
	A “Call for Evidence” on the timing of the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act is currently under way, and more information can be found at
	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/pro-policy/consult/consult-live/consult-2013-s52.htm

Copyright: Arts

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons artistic designs made before 1 June 1957 do not receive intellectual property protection; what assessment he has made of the effects of this on the design and innovation sector in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Design registration lasts for up to 25 years and will now have expired in works made before 1 June 1957.
	The Government understands that some artistic works created before 1 June 1957, where the work was also a design, may attract copyright protection by virtue of the Term Directive (2006/116/EC). If a work of artistic craftsmanship were protected by copyright in any EU member state on 1 July 1995, then it would be protected in the UK.
	Creating new copyright in these works would be likely to disrupt existing markets and hinder innovation, but no formal assessment of the scale of the impact has been made.

Diabetes: Research

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government has spent on type one diabetes medical research in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. Expenditure by the MRC on research into type 1 diabetes can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Medical Research Council expenditure on type 1 diabetes, 2009-10 to 2011-12 
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 £.7 
			 2010-11 3.6 
			 2011-12 4.0 
			 Note: Where a research project is related to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, 100% of the project value has been included in the totals shown above. 
		
	
	Department of Health spend on research on type 1 diabetes through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is in the following table:
	
		
			 Department of Health expenditure on type 1 diabetes, 2009-10 to 2011-12 
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 1.8 
			 2010-11 2.1 
			 2011-12 1.8 
			 Note: Total DH spend on research on type 1 diabetes is higher because expenditure by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) on this topic cannot be disaggregated from total CRN spend.

Diabetes: Research

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of Government expenditure on type one diabetes medical research relative to other countries with a high incidence of type one diabetes.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research.
	The MRC has not made an assessment of government expenditure on research on type 1 diabetes in the UK relative to publicly funded research in other countries with a high incidence of type 1 diabetes.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's response to the consultation on implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Recast Directive 2012/19/EU and changes to the UK WEEE system published in October 2013, how he plans to ensure that the application of dual use provisions in the UK is in line with EU objectives for the collection of hazardous household and business waste.

Michael Fallon: The WEEE recast directive distinguishes between business-to-consumer and business-to-business WEEE.
	The Government will meet EU requirements to prioritise the collection and treatment of all hazardous WEEE by ensuring that UK regulations on waste (including the WEEE regulations, the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment regulations, the waste regulations and the environmental permitting regulations) properly reflect the collection, treatment and other requirements in the WEEE recast directive and the waste framework directive and are effectively enforced.
	In particular this will be achieved by requiring separate collection and treatment and requiring specific collection targets.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's response to the consultation on implementation of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Recast Directive 2012/19/EU and changes to the UK WEEE system published in October 2013, what steps the Government plans to take to prioritise the collection and treatment of hazardous waste and electronic equipment.

Michael Fallon: The Government will meet EU requirements to prioritise the collection and treatment of all hazardous WEEE by ensuring that UK regulations on waste (including the WEEE regulations, the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment regulations, the waste regulations and the environmental permitting regulations) properly reflect the collection, treatment and other requirements in the WEEE recast directive and the waste framework directive and are effectively enforced.
	In particular this will be achieved by requiring separate collection and treatment and requiring specific collection targets.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Jo Swinson: The ongoing rationalisation of its estate and improved space utilisation has enabled the Department to make significant improvements to the energy efficiency of its buildings.
	The CO2 emissions reported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) core Department against the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) in year 2012/13 were reduced by 36%, compared to the 2009/10 baseline. The target is a 25% reduction by 2014/15.
	One initiative aimed at reducing energy consumption is the partial closure of the 1 Victoria Street HQ over the Christmas period. This has been implemented since 2011 and saves in the region of 50 tonnes of CO2 each year.
	BIS also ensures that any building plant or equipment that has come to the end of its economic life is replaced by more modern and energy efficient systems.

Exports: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 535W, what discussions his Department has had with EU authorities on the Export Refinancing Scheme; what deadline he has set for the conclusion of those discussions; and by what date he expects that scheme to begin operation.

Michael Fallon: I will write to the hon. Member with the requested information and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Gas Masks

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will issue a warning about the risk of inhalation of crocidolite asbestos when Second World War gas masks are used in schools for demonstration purposes.

David Laws: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	The Department for Education takes the issue of asbestos management in schools very seriously and has discussed this matter with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE advise that it is not appropriate for children or teachers to wear or handle a gas mask unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the particular mask does not contain asbestos.
	We have added this advice to our on-line guidance on asbestos management in schools and issued it to schools and local authorities.
	We will continue to work closely with HSE and keep this matter under review.

Gas Masks

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will meet the Secretary of State for Education and Ministers from the devolved Administrations to discuss the risk of inhalation of crocidolite asbestos from the use of Second World War gas masks in schools for demonstration purposes.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no plans to discuss this issue with the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), or Ministers from the devolved Administrations.

Google

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with (a) Which?, (b) Consumer Futures and (c) other consumer organisations on the European Commission's anti-trust investigation into Google;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the Office of Fair Trading on the European Commission's anti-trust investigation into Google.

Jo Swinson: This Department has not been in contact with consumer groups or the competition authorities about this specific investigation, which is for the European Commission to decide. Once the European Commission has made its decision, the Government will work with consumer groups and competition authorities, as necessary, to understand its impact.
	This Department is in regular contact with the Office of Fair Trading on competition issues more widely. This contact will continue when responsibility for competition issues transfers to the new Competition and Markets Authority from next year.

Land Registry

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with Google on stopping advertisements for unofficial websites which seek to encourage customers to pay them for Land Registry services.

Michael Fallon: Land Registry have not held any discussions with Google, as the websites referred to are not illegal while they are not infringing Land Registry trademarks and displaying that they are independent of Land Registry.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 10 October 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Ms J Emanuel.

Jo Swinson: According to our records, we have not received a copy of the letter referred to. If the right hon. Member would forward a copy, we will respond as a matter of urgency.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what targets have been set for winning bidders to draw down funds under each round of the Regional Growth Fund; and how much and what proportion of funds have not been drawn down to date from the existing round of the fund.

Michael Fallon: Selected bidders have until January 2014 to draw down funds under Rounds 1 and 2 of the Regional Growth Fund and until February 2015 under Rounds 3 and 4.
	Round 4 conditional awards were announced in July and all projects and programmes have until January 2014 to finalise their awards. No funds from that round have been drawn down to date.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide a breakdown by (a) region and (b) local authority area of the difference between the expected and actual investment outlined in the Regional Growth Fund Annual Monitoring Report 2013.

Michael Fallon: We do not hold the information. The £1.7 billion anticipated level of combined Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and private sector investment referred to in the Annual Monitoring Report is a national level estimate of the investment projects and programmes should have delivered by 31 March 2013 and is therefore not possible to disaggregate to any lower geographical level.

Regional Growth Fund

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the success of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a success. Over 400 companies and other organisations have successfully applied to the first four rounds of the RGF and received offers totalling £2.6 billion. This will generate £14.7 billion of private sector investment and deliver 550,000 jobs.
	With our accelerated timetable, we have now completed the contracting process for rounds 1 and 2 and there is only one bidder yet to finalise terms in round 3. Almost 300 projects and programmes are now operational. Round 4 offers will need to be agreed by January 2014, meaning another 100 schemes will be under way.
	The first RGF Annual Monitoring Report was published on 11 July 2013, detailing the progress made in rounds 1 and 2 up to 31 March 2013. It showed an estimated 58,600 jobs had been delivered—one in five of the total employment profile for rounds 1 and 2.
	To date, across all four rounds, £816 million has been paid to beneficiaries. Over 3,200 small and medium-sized enterprises have been supported through RGF programmes, meaning companies of all sizes are benefiting from the RGF.

Trade Promotion

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which firms have been included on ministerial trade missions by sector since May 2010.

Michael Fallon: The information is currently being collated and will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

TREASURY

Bank Services: Fees and Charges

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with banks concerning bank fees and charges.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process. As with the previous Administration, this Government does not provide details of these meetings.

Business

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide an update on the development of what works centres; and what involvement and consultation he envisages for local businesses in that process.

Oliver Letwin: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The What Works Network currently consists of five independent evidence centres covering the areas of health and social care, education attainment, local growth, crime reduction and effective early intervention. The newest centre, on local economic growth, launched last month and has two systematic reviews of evidence under way. Meanwhile, an academic consortium including eight universities has been commissioned to carry out the What Works functions of the College of Policing.
	When developing each of the new What Works centres, businesses were consulted wherever appropriate—for example, in the creation of the Centre for Local Economic Growth.

Credit

Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data his Department holds and at what geographical levels on the volume and value of (a) payday lending, (b) home credit, (c) logbook lending, (d) pawnbroking, (e) rent-to-own, (f) agency mail order and (g) other forms of sub-prime or high-cost credit.

Sajid Javid: The Government does not record data on consumer credit.

Credit: Databases

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on investigating options for improving access to SME credit data to make it easier for newer lenders to assess loans to smaller businesses; and what deadline has been set for the establishment of the database.

David Gauke: The Government has committed to investigate options for improving access to SME credit data to make it easier for newer lenders to assess loans to smaller businesses.
	The Government is currently carrying out further analysis into this issue and will provide an update in due course.

Credit: Interest Rates

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he intends to take to increase awareness of the dangers in taking out multiple payday loans.

Sajid Javid: The Government has been very clear that payday lenders should only make loans to those who can afford to pay them back. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking over responsibility for consumer credit regulation in April 2014, and will require lenders to undertake tough affordability assessments.
	The Government also strongly welcomes the FCA's proposals to require that all payday loan adverts carry a 'wealth warning' about the risks of taking out payday loans, and that adverts signpost to the Money Advice Service (MAS), which provides information to support consumers to make sound borrowing decisions and helps those in financial difficulty access debt advice and support.

Departmental Coordination

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what systems are in place to ensure effective communication between officials in his Department and economists in (a) UK Trade & Investment, (b) the Department of Health and (c) other Departments.

Nicky Morgan: Treasury officials with responsibility for public spending control and promoting growth have regular contact with officials and economists in other Government Departments. There are also regular meetings of Government chief economists for all Government Departments.

Economic Growth: EU Countries

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of 0.1 per cent growth in the eurozone from June to September 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury monitors economic developments in key international economies on an ongoing basis as part of the normal process of policy development.
	Growth in the euro area is welcome but, as in the UK, further structural reform and fiscal consolidation is needed to underpin recovery and strengthen growth.

Employee Ownership

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many firms have made enquiries to (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) other Government Departments and agencies for information on employee shareholder status to date; and how many of these came from (i) firms wishing to use the scheme themselves and (ii) those advising other businesses on the scheme;
	(2)  how many firms are using employee shareholder status; and how many people are employed on this basis.

David Gauke: There is no requirement on any business wishing to offer an employee shareholder agreement to notify Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or any other Government Department or agency in advance. No record is available of the number of inquiries received by HMRC or other Government Departments and agencies in connection with employee shareholder status. This applies to inquiries received from both businesses and advisers.
	Details of the number of businesses offering employee shareholder status or the number of employee shareholders are not available.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Nicky Morgan: A summary of the Department's energy consumption, travel and staffing data for the last three full financial years can be found in Chapter 3 of the Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 and Chapter 4 of the 2011-12 Report and Accounts, copies of which have been deposited in the Library.

Inflation

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference in the rate of inflation between the UK and other EU countries.

Nicky Morgan: In the UK, annual consumer prices index inflation was 2.2% in October 2013, well below the peak of 5.2% in September 2011. In the November Inflation Report, the Monetary Policy Committee judge that:
	“inflation is set to fall back to around the 2% target over the next year or so.”

Inheritance Tax

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs on its policy of requiring the payment of inheritance tax from estates before probate has been granted; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The requirement to pay any inheritance tax due on an estate before probate is granted is a very long standing feature of the inheritance tax and probate system. The Government has no plans to change it.

Loans: Arrears

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households with loans in arrears in (a) April 2010 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The Government does not collect or publish data on an aggregated basis for the number of households with loans in arrears. A number of organisations including the Bank of England collect data on household finances, which they make available publically.
	The Council for Mortgage Lenders publishes data on mortgage arrears, which the Department for Communities and Local Government summarises each year on the Government website. This puts the number of households in mortgage arrears at 144,200 at the end of 2010, and at 118,400 at the end of 2012.
	A table showing the last four years follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2009 163,400 
			 2010 144,200 
			 2011 126,600 
			 2012 118,400

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the likely levy amount a designated payment system would pay to fund his proposed new Payments System Regulator.

Sajid Javid: The new Payment Systems Regulator will set out details of the required levy payments once it is operational, and the Treasury has designated the first tranche of payment systems to be regulated. Under the new regulatory regime, the FCA will make rules requiring the payment of specified amounts for the purpose of meeting the costs of the FCA and the Payment Systems Regulator relating to the discharge of the Regulator's functions. Before making these rules, the FCA will be required to consult the Treasury. The Regulator will be required to operate a financial penalty scheme, whereby an amount equal to its enforcement costs is applied for the benefit of its regulated population, by reducing their levy the following year.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the annual costs of his proposed new Payments System Regulator.

Sajid Javid: The costs of the Payment Systems Regulator will be borne by the industry, in line with standard models for utility regulation. The FCA will levy the regulated population as required to fund the Payment Systems Regulator. The legislation provides that the Regulator must adopt an annual budget which has been approved by the FCA, and before adopting or varying a budget, the Regulator must consult the Treasury. The Regulator will also be required to publish its budget.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the three objectives for the payment system regulator proposed in the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill should be viewed as equally important, or if there is a hierarchy of importance.

Sajid Javid: The Payment Systems Regulator will be given three, equally weighted objectives which will guide it in addressing the major issues the Government has identified in the payments market. The regulator will be required to act, so far as is reasonably possible, in a way which advances one or more of its objectives.

Payment Systems Regulator

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what distinction his Department makes between non-party schemes and the automated inter-bank payment systems, the cheque clearing system and international three and four party card systems which will initially be designated as within the scope of the new payments systems regulator.

Sajid Javid: Under the new regulatory regime, HM Treasury will designate payment systems to bring them—and system participants—into the scope of the regulator's powers. Initially, the Treasury expects to designate the main inter-bank systems, the cheque clearing system and the international three and four party card systems. However, as set out in the legislation, all retail payment systems active in the UK will be in the potential scope of regulation, meaning "no-party" schemes may also be brought into the scope of regulation, if and when they meet the criteria for designation. These criteria require that the Treasury must be satisfied that any deficiencies in the design of the payment system, or any disruption in its operation, would be likely to have serious consequences for those who use, or are likely to use, the services provided by the system. Once designated, the Payments Systems Regulator will be required to advance its objectives in a proportionate manner, which will include taking into account differences between members of the regulated population.

Personal Income: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the Government's fiscal policy on household incomes in Scotland.

Nicky Morgan: The Government publishes distributional analysis at each fiscal event which shows how households across the income distribution are affected by this Government's tax, welfare, and public service spending.
	The most recent assessment was at Spending Round 2013, which showed that the richest 20% of households continue to make the greatest contribution to reducing the deficit, both in cash terms and as a percentage of their income.
	This analysis is not available for Scotland or other geographical breakdowns smaller than the UK.

Taxation: Rebates

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to prevent scam companies from charging for assistance in recovering tax rebates.

David Gauke: HMRC's Charter acknowledges that a third party can represent any taxpayer and many individuals and businesses authorise a tax agent to act on their behalf. This is often the case when a taxpayer wishes to determine if they are due a refund.
	HMRC has recently received a report on refund organisations by the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG).
	HMRC and LITRG are meeting to discuss how repayment processes could be improved for taxpayers who wish to deal directly with HMRC, rather than use the services of a tax agent.
	HMRC is fully aware of the dangers that tax agents who act inappropriately or unprofessionally pose to both the Exchequer and the clients they represent. Specialist HMRC teams have been set up to deal with poor agent performance. If criminality, rather than negligence or failure to take reasonable care, is found, HMRC will seek to prosecute.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

David Gauke: The Department does not operate 0844 or 0843 numbers.
	HMRC operated 511 lines providing 0845 numbers during the last 12 months.
	In the 12 months ending 31 October 2013 HMRC received 43,740,532 calls to those 0845 lines.
	Between April and September 2013, HMRC has introduced alternative 03 numbers, which cost the same as those to 01 and 02 numbers, to all of its customer facing 0845 lines making the service cheaper for most customers.
	During the initial roll out period, parallel running of the existing 0845 and new 03 numbers has meant that customers have a choice, though 03 numbers are usually less expensive to call. All HMRC 0845 numbers will be phased out on a rolling basis, the last line closing by April 15.

EDUCATION

After School Clubs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many primary academies and primary free schools provide breakfast clubs;
	(2)  how many academies and free schools provide breakfast clubs;
	(3)  how many primary academies and primary free schools offer extended services;
	(4)  how many academies and free schools offer extended services.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not collect information about the number of academies or free schools in England that provide breakfast clubs or extended services.
	It is for schools to decide whether to operate a breakfast club or offer extended services. We do, however, know of many examples of academies and free schools championing this approach for the benefit of pupils, families and the school itself.

Al-Madinah School

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what correspondence he has received from Derbyshire constabulary about the Al-Madinah Free School in Derby before and since the school opened.

Edward Timpson: The Department did not receive any correspondence from the police relating to the school before or since it opened.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answers of 5 November 2013, Official Report, columns 155-56W, on children: day care, how many parents responded to the survey of ratios in nurseries and other child care settings; what the breakdown of responses to the survey was; when he informed the Deputy Prime Minister about the survey; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The purpose of the survey was exploratory, to identify issues with the implementation of current policy and understand the barriers to greater employment of teachers in early years. It was not a quantitative study with a representative sample and as such did not identify parents as respondents.
	The Department for Education continues to work closely with the Deputy Prime Minister's office and others across the Government's child care reform agenda.

Children: Protection

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the merits of multi-agency safeguarding hubs as a method of improving child protection.

Edward Timpson: The Home Office, working in partnership with the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Department of Health and the Department for Education, commissioned a project in October 2012 to improve understanding of the different multi-agency models in place to support information sharing, which included Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH). A report of the project's early findings was published in July 2013, and the final report is due to be published in the new year. The early findings report is available online(1).
	The Department for Education will consider, along with the Home Office and other interested parties, how best to share good practice from the study once it concludes.
	(1 )www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/225012/MASH_Product.pdf

Class Sizes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education under what conditions a child can be counted as an excepted pupil to a class.

David Laws: The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. There are limited prescribed exceptions to this limit which are set out in the School Admissions Code 2012. These are:
	1. children admitted outside the normal admissions round with statements of special educational needs specifying a school;
	2. looked after children and previously looked after children admitted outside the normal admissions round;
	3. children admitted, after initial allocation of places, because of a procedural error made by the admission authority or local authority in the original application process;
	4. children admitted after an independent appeals panel upholds an appeal;
	5. children who move into the area outside the normal admissions round for whom there is no other available school within reasonable distance;
	6. children of UK service personnel admitted outside the normal admissions round;
	7. children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted otherwise than as an excepted pupil;
	8. children with special educational needs who are normally taught in a special educational needs unit attached to the school, or registered at a special school, who attend some infant classes within the mainstream school.
	There are no statutory limits on class sizes for older pupils.

Class Sizes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for how long a pupil admitted to a class as an exception can remain in that class before they are no longer counted as excepted.

David Laws: Children admitted as an exception to the infant class size limit will remain excepted for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the infant class size limit of 30.

Communication Skills

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Ofsted has a policy of discouraging use of regional accents and dialects in schools.

David Laws: I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Communication Skills

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on schools discouraging regional accents and dialects.

David Laws: We want all pupils to learn to speak confidently and effectively. Our new national curriculum for English focuses on teaching all pupils to learn to speak and write fluently in standard English because this helps them to participate fully as a member of society.
	The focus on fluency in standard English in the national curriculum does not impose a prescribed way of speaking and we do not expect schools to discourage pupils or teachers who speak with a regional accent or dialect.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when a minister from his Department has attended the Inter-Ministerial Group on violence against women and girls since its inception.

Edward Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to my response of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 732W (PQ 175719).

Disabled Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Elizabeth Truss: The proportions of employees with a disability in the Department, including its three executive agencies, on 31 October 2013, are shown in the following table. Not all employees choose to declare whether or not they have a disability, so the proportions are shown both as a percentage of those declaring and as a percentage of all employees.
	For comparison, the corresponding proportions for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 31 March 2009 are also shown.
	
		
			  31 October 2013 31 March 2009 
			  Percentage with a disability Percentage with a disability 
			 Grade Of those declaring Of all employees Of those declaring Of all employees 
			 EA 21.1 11.1 10.9 8.8 
			 EO 14.8 7.5 8.1 6.9 
			 HEO 11.8 6.9 8.4 7.0 
			 SEO 12.0 6.5 6.4 5.6 
			 Grade 7 10.4 6.0 7.9 6.9 
			 Grade 6 7.1 3.3 5.5 4.5 
			 SCS 6.0 3.3 3.0 2.5 
			 Total 11.8 6.4 7.8 6.6

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: No employment tribunals were lodged against the Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in any of the last five years.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of his Department or its Executive agencies by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Elizabeth Truss: No complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity were received in any of the last five years.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of complaints of racial discrimination or harassment for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of complaints 
			 2009 0 
			 2010 0 
			 2011 0 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 Less than 5 
			 2013 Less than 5 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on disciplinary action resulting from complaints.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of complaints 
			 2009 0 
			 2010 0 
			 2011 0 
			 2012 Less than 5 
			 2013 0 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on disciplinary action resulting from complaints.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Elizabeth Truss: The number of complaints of disability discrimination or harassment for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of complaints 
			 2009 0 
			 2010 0 
			 2011 0 
			 2012 Less than 5 
			 2013 Less than 5 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on disciplinary action resulting from complaints.

Education: Voucher Schemes

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the use of education vouchers.

Edward Timpson: The Government do not have any plans to introduce education vouchers. Our priority is to ensure that state-funded schools are able to offer pupils high quality education which raises the educational attainment of all pupils and reduces the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has made excellent progress in improving the energy efficiency of its estate, by reducing its total operational greenhouse gas emissions by 29% in 2012-13 against a 2009-10 baseline. This has led to a reduction of about £1.1 million to the Department's annual energy bill.

Free School Meals

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether there will be more than one gluten-free menu choice available for children that require a gluten-free diet under the Government's proposed free school meals programme.

David Laws: The Department for Education will be consulting on a revised set of school food standards early in 2014 as part of our strategy to ensure that all schools, caterers and suppliers are providing healthy, tasty and nutritious food to pupils. Within those statutory guidelines, schools will be free to decide their school meals policy and in doing so are expected to take pupils' dietary needs into account and make reasonable adjustments accordingly. School leaders and their catering providers are best placed to make such decisions based on their individual circumstances.

Free School Meals

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision will be in place in the Government's free school meals programme for children with special dietary needs; and what (a) training for school caterers and suppliers of school meals and (b) safeguards will be in place to ensure that gluten-free meals meet EU Regulation 1169/2011 and other necessary standards.

David Laws: Training for school caterers and suppliers is the responsibility of their employer. The Food Standards Agency has been working to ensure that food safety training covers food allergy and food intolerance issues. They have developed a food allergy training tool, which highlights steps that should be followed to make sure good practice is used in the manufacture and production of food. The online training offers practical advice to local authority food law enforcement officers (both food hygiene and food standards) and anyone wanting to learn more about food allergy, such as managers and staff in the manufacturing and catering industries, and is available at:
	http://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/english/
	The Food Standards Agency has responsibility for food aspects of food allergy and intolerance, including the implementation of Regulations (EC) 41/2009 and 1169/2011 and providing risks assessments for incidents where misleading gluten claims have been made.
	The Department for Education will be consulting on a revised set of school food standards early in 2014 as part of our strategy to ensure that all schools, caterers and suppliers are providing healthy, tasty and nutritious food to pupils. Within those statutory guidelines, schools will be free to decide their school meals policy and in doing so are expected to take pupils' dietary needs into account and make reasonable adjustments accordingly. School leaders and their catering providers are best placed to make such decisions based on their individual circumstances.

Free School Meals

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the requirements for (a) children with coeliac disease who must follow a gluten-free diet and (b) other children with special dietary needs will be met through the free school meals programme that will be introduced in September 2014. [R]

David Laws: The Department for Education will be consulting on a revised set of school food standards early in 2014 as part of our strategy to ensure that all schools, caterers and suppliers are providing healthy, tasty and nutritious food to pupils. Within those statutory guidelines, schools will be free to decide their school meals policy and in doing so are expected to take pupils' dietary needs into account and make reasonable adjustments accordingly. School leaders and their catering providers are best placed to make such decisions based on their individual circumstances.

Free Schools

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps are his Department is taking to ensure that free schools are opening in areas with a shortage of school places.

Edward Timpson: Free schools are set up in response to demand from parents for a new school in their area. In assessing the merits of individual free school applications we take into account, among other things, the basic need for places, and the quality of existing schools in the area.
	Seven in 10 open mainstream free schools are in areas of basic need. By September 2014, we expect 130,000 extra places will have been created by the free schools programme, with many more to come.
	Over the current spending review and in addition to the free schools programme, we are spending £5 billion on addressing the shortage of places through basic need funding—more than double the amount spent by the previous Government over an equivalent four year period.

Free Schools: Inspections

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment the Department has made of the Ofsted inspections of the first wave of free schools.

Edward Timpson: The first 24 free schools, which opened in September 2011, have now been judged against Ofsted's inspection framework. Of those, 18 were assessed as good or outstanding. One school was judged to be inadequate and we expect urgent action to be taken to bring about rapid improvement. The school is being closely monitored by Ofsted and the Department.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  for what reason, after he had been briefed that the police were not intending to proceed with an investigation into fraud allegations at Kings Science Academy, Bradford, in September 2013, he did not instruct his officials to hand over the full and unredacted internal audit report to the police;
	(2)  for what reason, after he had been briefed on the internal audit report into Kings Science Academy, Bradford, in April 2013, he did not instruct officials to provide the police with a full and unredacted copy of the report;
	(3)  for what reason, after he was briefed on the internal audit report into Kings Science Academy, Bradford, in April 2013, he did not instruct officials to seek a meeting with the police in order to brief them fully about the audit report;
	(4)  for what reasons after learning that the police were not intending to proceed with an investigation into fraud allegations at Kings Science Academy, Bradford in September 2013, he did not instruct his officials to seek a meeting with the police in order to find out the full reasons why they were not so proceeding.

Edward Timpson: The matter was referred to Action Fraud on 25 April. Officials at the Department for Education contacted Action Fraud to inquire about progress, on 5 September, and were told that the case had been assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who had decided not to take the case further.
	Action Fraud notified the Department on 1 November by telephone that the information provided had been wrongly classified as an information report rather than a crime report. This error has been rectified by Action Fraud and West Yorkshire police have confirmed they are now investigating. The Department is co-operating fully with their inquiries and has provided the West Yorkshire police with an unredacted copy of the investigation report, at their request. Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for this error.

Kings Science Academy

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what contact his Department had with Action Fraud concerning Kings Science Academy in Bradford from 25 April to 1 November 2013;
	(2)  what contact his Department has had with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau concerning fraud at Kings Science Academy in Bradford from 25 April to 1 November 2013.

Edward Timpson: All contact relating to the case has been with Action Fraud.
	Action Fraud is the UK's national fraud reporting centre, providing a central point of contact for information about fraud. It is run by the National Fraud Agency which works in partnership with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). Action Fraud reports cases of fraud to the NFIB, and it was created by the police to help them catch fraudsters. All confirmed reports of fraud from Action Fraud are passed on to the NFIB.
	The Department therefore contacted Action Fraud on 25 April and 5 September about matters arising from the Department's investigation into Kings Science Academy. Action Fraud notified the Department on 1 November that the information provided had been wrongly classified as an information report rather than a crime report. This error has been rectified by Action Fraud and West Yorkshire police have confirmed they are now investigating. Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for this error.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education at what intervals his Department planned to undertake or commission independent audits of the financial accounts of Kings Science Academy, Bradford, in 2013.

Edward Timpson: Academy trusts are required by their funding agreements to ensure that their accounts are audited annually, including the regularity of income and expenditure, by independent auditors appointed under arrangements approved by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).
	Under these arrangements, all academies, including Kings Science Academy, are required to submit their next set of audited accounts, covering the period from 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013, to the Secretary of State for Education by 31 December 2013 (and to Companies House by 31 May 2014). The accounts will be rigorously scrutinised when received by the Education Funding Agency (EFA).
	Additional to these arrangements, the EFA continues to monitor Kings Science Academy's progress in implementing the agreed improvement actions, including in its systems for financial reporting, following the investigation earlier this year.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which company leased land to Kings Science Academy, Bradford; and who the chairman and vice-chairman of that company are.

Edward Timpson: Kings Science Academy opened in temporary accommodation leased from Liaqat Hussain Khalil Ur Rehman, Khadim Hussain and Haji Gulzar, trustees of Jamiyat Tabligh-ul-Islam, a Bradford mosque. The school later transferred to its permanent site secured on a lease from Hartley Property Trust Limited. Companies House lists Alan James Lewis as the chairman of Hartley Property Trust Limited. No vice-chairman is named.

Languages: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to promote the teaching of foreign languages in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: The English Baccalaureate is already encouraging more young people to take a language at GCSE level. The number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 (ages 14 to 16) in England entered for a modern foreign language GCSE increased by over 20% from 2012 to 2013.
	We have made study of a foreign language compulsory at key stage 2 (ages seven to 11) as part of the new national curriculum which comes into force from September 2014. Schools will be able to teach any modem or ancient foreign language.

Mathematics: Education

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet teachers' and parents' representatives about the possibility of continuing with November entry for mathematics for Year 11 students.

Elizabeth Truss: Department for Education Ministers have met representative groups, including the Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Head Teachers, to discuss the changes to the way that qualifications count towards performance measures. Ministers have also met with a number of individual head teachers.
	Our decision to count only a pupil's first entry does not prevent schools from entering pupils for GCSE mathematics in November, if they believe they are adequately prepared to gain the best possible result. The changes will make sure that schools do not enter pupils early when it is not in the pupil's best interests.
	Evidence published by the Department for Education in 2011 showed that pupils who enter early do worse than pupils who do not, even when taking prior attainment into account. A report by Ofsted corroborated many of these concerns, raising issues with the impact of early entry on students.
	The Department's announcement on early entry, and both reports, can be accessed at the following web address:
	www.gov.uk/government/news/changes-to-early-entry-at-gcse

National Curriculum Tests

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 607W, on National Curriculum Tests, how many schools reported exceptional circumstances (a) on and (b) after the deadline.

Elizabeth Truss: Before the deadline, six schools reported IT issues to the Standards and Testing Agency which could not be resolved by the deadline.
	After the deadline, three schools reported that serious tragedies had occurred during the pupil registration period which had affected their ability to register children for the tests. A further 19 schools reported that they had completed pupil registration by the deadline but that there were clerical errors which needed to be corrected.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether offices of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education and its executive agencies receive the Parliamentary Television Service, which provides Ministers with access to Parliament TV. This service includes access to Sky Sports 1 and 2, but there is no additional fee to the Department for receiving these channels.

Pupil Exclusions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have been permanently excluded from schools in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on permanent exclusions in Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire local authority and England is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools(1,2,3,4): permanent exclusions(5)Academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12—England, Lancashire local authority and Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency 
			  Permanent exclusions 
			  England Lancashire Ribble Valley constituency 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) 
			 2007-08 8,130 0.11 320 0.19 25 0.15 
			 2008-09 6,550 0.09 260 0.16 24 0.16 
			 2009-10 5,740 0.08 210 0.13 17 0.11 
			 2010-11 5,080 0.07 180 0.11 11 0.07 
			 2011-12 5,170 0.07 150 0.10 6 0.04 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes all primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes data for both city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including all through academies and free schools. (4) Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) Figures for the England and Lancashire permanent exclusions for the years 2007/08 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. Constituency figures are as reported by schools. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. Note: National and local authority figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census

Pupils: Bullying

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to support Anti-Bullying Week; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department is providing over £4 million funding over two years from 2013 to four anti-bullying organisations—Beatbullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau consortium—and through social media is directly supporting their campaigns during anti-bullying week. The Department fully supports the Anti-bullying Alliance's call for a national debate on cyber-bullying. This would provide an opportunity to bring together all parties including industry, the voluntary sector, parents, schools and pupils to identity creative solutions to combat the issue of cyber-bullying.

Pupils: Bullying

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with (a) internet providers, (b) social media platforms and (c) search engines about (i) the ability to report cyber-bullying and (ii) providing information on the effects of cyber-bullying and where to get support.

Elizabeth Truss: Government Ministers have regular meetings with internet providers, social media platforms and search engines on matters related to internet safety, including cyber-bullying. Ministers from the Department for Education, Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also co-chair the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together a range of experts across Government, law enforcement, industry, academia and charities to consider the best ways to minimise the risk of harm to children when online.
	The Government believes that internet providers, schools, and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online. The Prime Minister has called for responsible behaviour from website owners and expects all social media to have simple mechanisms for reporting abuse, to take action promptly when abuse is reported and to make it easier for users to turn off anonymous posts.
	All schools must have a behaviour policy which includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Schools have the flexibility to develop their own measures to prevent and tackle bullying, but are held to account by Ofsted.
	In addition, the Government recognises that educating young people about online safety is key to tackling cyber-bullying. From September 2014 pupils in all four key stages will be taught about e-safety as part of the new curriculum. This will empower young people to tackle cyber-bullying through responsible, respectful and secure use of technology, as well as ensuring that pupils are taught age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.
	The Department is also providing £4 million of funding over two years from 2013 to four anti-bullying organisations. These are Beatbullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau consortium. While this funding has been awarded to specific projects to reduce bullying in general, this can, and does, include work to tackle cyber-bullying.

School Meals

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has had from primary schools following the announcement of the provision by schools of hot meals to all children up to the age of seven.

David Laws: The Deputy Prime Minister announced in September that, from September 2014, the Government will fund free school meals for every child in reception classes, year 1 and year 2, attending state-funded schools in England. Since that announcement, departmental officials have engaged in a number of discussions with primary school head teachers and their representatives, as well as other interested parties, to explore how this policy can be implemented so that the benefits of universal free school meal provision for children and families are maximised. The policy has been welcomed by the National Association of Head Teachers.
	We are currently considering how the Department can best support the implementation of this policy, and we expect to announce further details in due course.

School Meals

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the capacity of primary schools by local authority area to provide hot dinners to all children up to the age of seven.

David Laws: In the period since the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement, departmental officials have held a number of discussions with schools, local authorities, representative organisations and other stakeholders in order to assess the challenges that primary schools will face in implementing this policy. We are also taking into account the experience of those primary schools that currently offer universal free school meals, as well as the evidence available to us from previous pilots of universal free school meal provision.
	As far as possible, we expect children in the eligible year groups to be provided with freshly prepared meals cooked either on-site or nearby. We will also expect schools to take all reasonable steps to ensure that children are offered a hot meal each day at school, but recognise that there are circumstances when a cold, healthy meal that meets the prescribed food standards could be appropriate.

School Meals

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he plans to issue to primary schools following the announcement about the provision by schools of hot meals to all children up to the age of seven.

David Laws: In the period since the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement, departmental officials have held a number of discussions with local authorities, schools, representative organisations and other stakeholders in order to assess the challenges that primary schools will face in implementing this policy. We are also taking into account the experience of those primary schools that presently offer universal free school meals as well as the evidence available to us from previous pilots of universal free school meal provision.
	We are currently considering how the Department can best support the implementation of this policy, and we expect to announce further details in due course.

School Meals

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools and what proportion of schools have facilities to provide hot school meals.

Elizabeth Truss: The School Food Trust conducted annual surveys of take up of school lunches in England between 2006 and 2012. 2012 figures(1) (the latest figures available) showed that 77% of primary schools had full production kitchens, 5% had facilities for regeneration or a mini-kitchen and 17% had hot food transported from elsewhere. 99% of secondary schools had full production kitchens.
	In announcing free school meals for all pupils from September 2014, the Deputy Prime Minister said that schools should aim to provide meals that are nutritious and, wherever possible, are hot and prepared onsite or nearby. We are working with schools, local authorities, caterers and others to respond to the challenges schools may face in achieving this.
	(1)http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/assets/research-reports/seventh_annual_survey2011-2012_full_report.pdf

Schools: Admissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the minimum surplus of school places within local authorities his Department currently plans for; and how this figure has changed in the last five years.

David Laws: It is the responsibility of each local authority to provide a school place for every child in its area, and the Department provides capital funding to support this.

Schools: Admissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many state-funded schools were operating at or above full capacity in each year since 2009-10.

David Laws: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of schools Number of schools that are not full Number of schools that are full or have one or more pupils in excess of school capacity 
			 2009-10 20,276 15,902 4,374 
			 2010-11 20,173 15,898 4,275 
			 2011-12 20,072 15,954 4,118 
		
	
	The data for May 2013 are currently being finalised and will be published later in the year.

Schools: Inspections

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of Ofsted inspections of local authority school improvement services on outcomes in those schools.

David Laws: To date, Ofsted has inspected the school improvement services of two local authorities, Isle of Wight and Norfolk. Ofsted announced the results of those inspections in its press release of 24 July 2013. It is too early to make an assessment of the effect of the inspections on the outcomes for schools in these areas.

Schools: Inspections

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the annual cost to Ofsted of inspecting specialist support services for (a) children with special educational needs and (b) children with low incidence special educational needs and sensory impairment.

Edward Timpson: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to respond to the hon. Member. A copy of his response will be placed in the House library.

Schools: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved an annual increase in the proportion of year six pupils achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing, teacher assessment and mathematics in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

Edward Timpson: The requested information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary Education: Standards

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he has had with teachers' representatives on the timing of proposed changes to the 2014 Key Stage 4 performance tables.

David Laws: The Secretary of State for Education and I have met with head teacher representative bodies, including the Association of School and College Leaders and the National Association of Head Teachers, to discuss the changes to the way qualifications will count towards performance measures from 2014, including the timing of their implementation. Ministers have .also discussed the changes with a number of individual head teachers.

Sixth Form Education

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential correlation between the size of sixth form cohort and success in adding value at A level qualifications; what recent discussions he has held with Ofsted on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: Data on the value added by schools and colleges in A levels were published in February 2013:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download/Level_3_Value_Added_2012_Performance_Tables_Download.zip
	A copy of this document has been placed in the House Library.
	Ministers in the Department meet regularly with Ofsted to discuss school performance, although there has been no specific conversation with Ofsted on this matter.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the future recruitment needs for teachers of the deaf in England.

Edward Timpson: It is for schools and local authorities to assess their recruitment and workforce needs including teachers of the deaf.
	We know from the report published by the Consortium for Research into Deaf Education (CRIDE) that the number of teachers of the deaf appears to be stable. The report indicated that there are more than 1,100 teachers of the deaf employed nationally.
	The Government supports the training which teachers and school leaders receive to help them identify where pupils with hearing loss face barriers to learning and offer appropriate support. The National Scholarship Fund, available through the Department for Education, provides funding for teachers' postgraduate qualifications and training, including specialist training for teachers of the deaf. Funding is also available to support teaching assistants and support staff to improve their skills in special educational needs.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of teachers of the deaf in England.

Edward Timpson: Information on the numbers of teachers teaching deaf pupils in schools in England is not collected by the Department.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers have accessed the National Scholarship Fund for the purpose of undergoing training to become a teacher of the deaf to date.

David Laws: In round one of the National Scholarship Fund (2011-12), 12 scholars accessed funding for the purpose of training for the deaf.
	In round two of the National Scholarship Fund (2012-13), two scholars accessed funding for the purpose of training for the deaf.
	In round three of the National Scholarship Fund (2013-14), six scholars accessed funding for the purpose of training for the deaf.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Elizabeth Truss: The proportion of female and male employees in the Department, including its three Executive agencies, on 31 October 2013, is shown in the following table.
	For comparison, the corresponding proportion for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 31 March 2009 are also shown.
	
		
			 Percentage of total 
			  31 October 2013 31 March 2009 
			 Grade Female Male Female Male 
			 EA 73.7 26.3 67.7 32.3 
			 EO 65.6 34.4 68.3 31.7 
			 HEO 64.4 35.6 57.5 42.5 
			 SEO 56.0 44.0 58.5 41.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Grade 7 54.9 45.1 53.2 46.8 
			 Grade 6 51.8 48.2 51.4 48.6 
			 SCS 49.3 50.7 50.8 49.2 
			 Total 59.2 40.8 59.5 40.5

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Elizabeth Truss: The proportions of employees by ethnicity in the Department, including its three executive agencies, on 31 October 2013, are shown in the following table. Not all employees choose to declare their ethnicity, so the proportions are shown both as a percentage of those declaring and as a percentage of all employees.
	For comparison, the corresponding proportions for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 31 March 2009 are also shown.
	
		
			  31 October 2013 31 March 2009 
			  Percentage of those declaring Percentage of those declaring 
			 Grade Black and Minority Ethnic White(1) Black and Minority Ethnic White(1) 
			 EA 21.2 78.8 13.8 86.2 
			 EO 25.9 74.1 22.2 77.8 
			 HEO 21.7 78.3 18.0 82.0 
			 SEO 15.5 84.5 11.8 88.2 
			 Grade 7 11.7 88.3 8.5 91.5 
			 Grade 6 11.2 88.8 7.5 92.5, 
			 SCS 4.0 96.0 2.0 98.0 
			 Total 17.0 83.0 14.1 85.9 
		
	
	
		
			  31 October 2013 31 March 2009 
			  Percentage of all employees Percentage of all employees 
			 Grade Black and Minority Ethnic White(1) Black and Minority Ethnic White(1) 
			 EA 14.0 52.0 11.1 69.8 
			 EO 17.1 49.1 18.9 66.1 
			 HEO 15.9 57.6 15.1 68.7 
			 SEO 11.0 60.0 10.2 76.8 
			 Grade 7 8.6 64.8 7.5 80.6 
			 Grade 6 8.1 64.2 6.2 76.8 
			 SCS 2.6 63.2 1.7 83.9 
			 Total 12.0 58.8 12.0 73.1 
			 (1) We have interpreted ‘White British’ as ‘White’, because the Department's ethnicity data do not distinguish categories within ‘White’.

Statistics

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the email dated 15 November 2013 sent from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley, to the Children and Early Years Data Unit in his Department, when he expects his Department to reply to the requests for statistical analyses contained in items (1) to (4) of that email.

Edward Timpson: The requests for statistical analyses set out in the e-mail exchange on 15 November 2013 will be delivered as early as possible in the new year. Officials estimate the full set of analyses will take approximately three weeks to complete and statisticians in the Children and Early Years Data Unit will be happy to work with the hon. Member to prioritise the requests according to his needs, to establish a timetable for delivery of each of the individual items and to agree a process for keeping him regularly informed of progress thereafter.

Teachers: Trade Unions

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he intends to meet leaders of the (a) NUT and (b) NASUWT in relation to their disputes about teachers' pay, pensions, conditions of service and jobs.

David Laws: The Secretary of State for Education has invited the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT to attend a programme of talks about the implementation of policy, including in those areas covered by their trade disputes. He has also invited other organisations representing the teaching profession to attend the programme of talks. He wrote to the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT. on 19 November asking them to confirm whether they will attend. Copies of his correspondence will be placed in the House Library.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which higher education institutions have informed the National College for Teaching and Leadership that they will no longer be providing initial teacher training places.

David Laws: The university of Bath has informed the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) that it will not be delivering initial teacher training (ITT) places in academic year 2014/15. It will continue to train teachers in academic year 2013/14.
	The Open University has informed the NCTL that it does not intend to deliver provider-led ITT in academic year 2014/15. They will, however, meet school partnership commitments to deliver School Direct places in 2014/15. It will continue to train teachers in academic year 2013/14.
	There are another 74 higher education institutions who will be delivering ITT in academic year 2014/15.

Truancy

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the level of truancy in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The closest measure we have to assess truancy rates is the unauthorised absence rate. This includes family holidays taken during term time but not agreed by the head teacher, late arrival at school, and any other absence that is not authorised.
	Unauthorised absence rates for Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire local authority and England are shown are the following table:
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools(1,2,3,4): unauthorised absence rates(5)()Academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12—England, Lancashire local authority and Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency 
			  Unauthorised absence rate(5) 
			  England Lancashire Ribble Valley constituency 
			 2007-08 1.0 0.8 0.5 
			 2008-09 1.1 0.8 0.6 
			 2009-10 1.0 0.8 0.4 
			 2010-11 1.1 0.8 0.4 
			 2011-12 1.0 0.7 0.4 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies. (4) Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved for SEN pupils. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. Source: School Census

Truancy

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parents have been issued with (a) a penalty notice and (b) parenting orders on account of truant children in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) England since data has been available.

Elizabeth Truss: Since 2004, the Department for Education has been publishing the number of school attendance related penalty notices and parenting orders issued by each local authority. This information is not available at constituency level. Between 2004 and 2012 Lancashire county council issued 2,106 penalty notices and made 54 parenting orders. 168,958 penalty notices were issued and 3,643 parenting orders were made by all authorities in England between 2004 and 2012. The full information on penalty notices and parenting orders can be found on the Department's website(1).
	(1) http://tinvurl.com/dxemd4l

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Local Government: South West

Robert Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the importance of City Deals in devolving power to local Government in the South West; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: City Deals devolve powers and resources from the national to the local level to unlock economic growth. They are important agreements that allow cities to take local decisions which will help businesses grow and create economic growth.
	In 2012 the Government agreed city deals with all the core cities in England, including Bristol and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership. The Government has been negotiating with a further 20 city areas to agree a second wave of city deals including with Plymouth; Swindon and Wiltshire; and Bournemouth and Poole. Four of these have been agreed so far: Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire; Thames Valley Berkshire; Greater Ipswich; and Southampton and Portsmouth.

Politics and Government: Young People

Robert Syms: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's steps to improve the participation of young people in politics.

Greg Clark: The transition to individual electoral registration offers the opportunity to ensure as many eligible people as possible, including young people, are registered to vote.
	Additional funding has been made available and we will carefully evaluate the effectiveness of the range of activities planned.

Politics and Government: Young People

William McCrea: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to encourage the participation of young people in politics.

Greg Clark: Government, politicians, political parties, electoral administrators and others in society all have a role to play in engaging people in democracy.
	Cabinet Office is working with a range of organisations, including the British Youth Council, to encourage and enable young people to have a voice—and be heard—in the democratic process.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on the Bost Airfield and Agricultural Business Park project before July 2010.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.
	Prior to July 2010 DFID spent £3.59 million on the Bost Airfield and Agricultural Business Park, of which £3.50 million was spent on the airfield and £0.09 million was spent on the agricultural business park.

Afghanistan

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2013, Official Report, column 296W, on Afghanistan, what the reasons are for the exact costs being unavailable.

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.
	It is not possible to identify the specific cost of training Afghan nationals within the ‘improving local capacity’ component of the Bost Airfield and Agricultural Business Park programme without incurring disproportionate costs.

Burma

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to promote its Strategic Vision for Girls and Women in Burma since it was launched in March 2011.

Alan Duncan: DFID prioritises the needs of women and girls throughout its work in Burma. Since the launch of the strategy, UK aid has enabled 135,000 women to gain access to financial services and assets; helped 84,000 women with family planning; supported 80,000 girls to complete primary school; and is funding a network of 90 organisations that helped develop the Government's National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women and is working to strengthen anti-violence legislation.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department is giving to the Development of Rangoon Hospital, Burma; and what the cost to the public purse of such support is.

Alan Duncan: DFID will provide up to £100,00 to support a small team to prepare a full feasibility study and a master plan for the renovation of Rangoon General Hospital in Burma.

Developing Countries: Eyesight

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has allocated for the diagnosis of (a) diabetes, (b) brain tumours and (c) other diseases by means of eye tests.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK's approach to tackling non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and tumours is to strengthen the systems that enable the delivery of health services. Increasing access to accurate diagnosis and quality treatment is a key part of strengthening the health system, to help countries respond to all their health priorities, including those mentioned.
	At the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in 2011, the Prime Minister announced £50 million in matched funding to the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. This will include funding towards trachoma control, as well as programmes tackling diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's funded programmes are doing towards strengthening the health workforce in low and middle income countries.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is helping countries develop their own health care systems, including country efforts to build and maintain health worker capacity. DFID supports the health work force in the countries in which we work through programmes that help train new health workers such as nurses, birth attendants and midwives.
	In addition, DFID funds the Health Partnership Scheme that supports partnerships between UK health institutions and partners in developing countries to strengthen health worker skills. DFID also provides funding to the Global Health Workforce Alliance, which advocates for improved human resources for health and which supports countries health work force co-ordination and planning.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to remove user fees for maternal and newborn health.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK supported countries to replace out-of-pocket payments with other means of financing health care, especially for mothers and children, and has used a range of mechanisms to do so.
	The UK has provided direct bilateral support to several countries as they removed user fees, and also funds the World Health Organisation to support more than 30 countries to develop more equitable, health financing systems.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department plans to take to reduce the number of babies born without a skilled birth attendant present.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is already acting to reduce the number of babies born without a skilled attendant present. We are empowering women to choose if, when and how many children to have to give them choice and control over their lives. We also support programmes that train skilled birth attendants and work with governments and other partners to facilitate their employment.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress she has made on improving the energy efficiency of her Department.

Alan Duncan: DFID has significantly improved energy efficiency by achieving a 35% reduction in carbon emissions during 2011-12 against the 2009-10 Greening Government baseline year. DFID has improved energy efficiency through various measures; reducing the number of IT servers/printers, upgrading all laptops and PCs to models which use at least 50% less energy, installing a green roof at our Abercrombie House (AH) office and reducing plant operation times ensuring better temperature control at both UK sites. This reporting year we have installed a biomass boiler at AH and have improved the external fabric of the building reducing heat loss. In London we have recently moved to a new smaller office which will save 25% in energy usage. As part of this we are also replacing elements of the heating and lighting systems with more modern, energy-efficient alternatives.

European Development Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK will contribute in the next European Development Fund in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15, (c) 2015-16 and (d) 2016-17; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK's contribution to the European Development Fund for 2013-14 will be €478,455,000 (£408 million). Individual payments have not been determined for 2015 onwards so figures for future financial years are not available.

International Assistance

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to achieve greater progress on Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government is investing in a broad and complementary range of cost-effective interventions to reduce child and maternal mortality. Our programmes address the continuum of care from pre-pregnancy to early childhood.
	Examples of our work include investments in family planning; antenatal, pregnancy and postnatal care; vaccines, disease management and health systems strengthening. Our water, sanitation hygiene, nutrition, education and. livelihoods programmes also contribute to achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. We also work in partnership with others to improve value for money from combined global efforts for example through the Partnership for Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health.

Middle East

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what projects in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories are funded by the Conflict Pool.

Alan Duncan: The following projects in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories are funded by the Conflict Pool.
	
		
			 Project Name Implementing Organisation 
			 Law enforcement and Access to Land Yesh Din 
			 Professional medical exchange between Israelis and Palestinians Peres Center/Palestinian Red Crescent 
			 Economic incentives for positive unilateral steps BWF/Macro 
			 Gaza-West Bank access Gisha 
			 Settlement Watch Peace Now 
			 Engaging the Ultra-Orthodox British Embassy Tel Aviv 
			 Planning and capacity building for Arab municipalities Injaz/Bimkom/ACRI 
			 Making the Case for Peace Mellman Group 
			 Reducing tension and preventing conflict through Urban Planning in East Jerusalem International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC) 
			 Replanning Palestine: Urban Plans in Area C International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC) 
		
	
	
		
			 Terrestrial Jerusalem Programme Terrestrial Jerusalem 
			 Establishing citizens' advice bureaux in two areas of East Jerusalem Jerusalem Community Advocacy Network 
			 Protecting Palestinian Communities in South Hebron Hills Rabbis for Human Rights

Palestinians

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much of her Department's spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is allocated to programmes run by non-governmental, non-UN and non-Palestinian Authority bodies;
	(2)  how much of her Department's spend in the Occupied Palestinian Territories was allocated to programmes run by non-governmental, non-UN and non-Palestinian Authority bodies in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Alan Duncan: DFID funds a number of programmes run by non-governmental, non-UN and non-Palestinian Authority bodies. These include organisations such as the Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council and certain Israeli and Palestinian NGOs.
	The Department's best estimate of the apportioned total is:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
			 2009-10 8,200,000 
			 2010-11 8,400,000 
			 2011-12 3,500,000 
			 2012-13 3,900,000

Philippines

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid her Department is sending to the Philippines.

Justine Greening: The UK has committed over £50 million to assist with the disaster relief efforts currently under way in the Philippines.
	UK support so far has included:
	£8 million through the Rapid Response Facility, which provides funding to pre-approved NGOs and private sector partners in the first 72 hours of a humanitarian emergency;
	£3 million in logistics support (including £1 million for an Antonov aircraft to carry vital replacement unloading equipment to Cebu airport);
	£5 million in matched funding, to help kick-start the DEC appeal;
	Over £5 million in military support (HMS Daring, HMS Illustrious, C-17 flights and the use of a C-130 Hercules);
	£23 million to the UN Flash appeal, the first tranche of which will provide immediate resources for coordination through OCHA, the provision of water and sanitation supplies through UNICEF, and food through the WFP;
	£7 million to the Red Cross movement. This will fund approximately 12% of both the IFRC and ICRC appeals. This money is already being programmed; and
	£1 million to support the UN Humanitarian Air Service.
	The UK Government is delivering food, shelter, clean water and medicines to up to 800,000 victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Eleven flights, including three RAF C-17s, have so far landed in Cebu. Relief items delivered include:
	more than 17,000 shelter kits;
	more than 21,000 tarpaulins;
	more than 16,000 hygiene kits;
	more than 1,000 family tents;
	water and sanitary equipment, jerry cans, buckets;
	nine 4x4 vehicles; three JCBs.
	The UK is providing heavy lifting equipment at the request of the WFP to double the loading and unloading capability for aid supplies at Cebu airport and unblock roads that are vital to aid efforts. Two fuel bowsers, with the ability to carry up to 2,000 litres of fuel each will help keep this equipment running.
	As well as our own stocks, we have funded cargo flights for organisations including the Red Cross, World Vision, Save the Children, Oxfam and Shelter Box. Further airlifts are planned this week. The UK has also deployed a team of 12 doctors and paramedics who are expert at operating in emergency situations. They have been providing emergency medical assessments and assistance in Tacloban, and to more remote islands aboard HMS Daring.
	In addition the Philippines will receive up to £5 million for four cities to plan and invest in practical measures, such as early warning systems, and in resilient infrastructure which support physical improvements such as drainage, housing, flood protection, and wastewater systems.
	Other European and international institutions are also responding to the crisis. Our response team on the ground is coordinating with other organisations in order to better target UK aid and reduce duplication of efforts.

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of travel within the UK was for staff of her Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Alan Duncan: DFID's central finance records do not enable a response to this question without an incurring disproportionate cost: While the financial systems provide detail on the costs associated with travel it is not possible to split this by cost of travel incurred within the UK and costs incurred overseas.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the case of Sumlat Roi Ja with the Burmese government.

Hugo Swire: While we have not specifically raised the case of Sumlat Roi Ja, we remain concerned by the continued reports of arbitrary arrests and human rights abuses in Kachin State, particularly their potential impact on negotiations between the Burmese Government and Kachin Independence Organisation on a ceasefire and political dialogue.
	We continue to call on the Government to ensure that people, including in conflict areas, are able to go about their daily lives without fear of arbitrary arrest or detention, and to repeal all existing laws which are not in line with democratic standards.
	Most recently, I raised these issues with the Minister for the President's Office, Tin Naing Thein on 22 November 2013. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised our concerns about Burma's political prisoners and the country's continuing ethnic conflicts, particularly in Kachin State, with President Thein Sein during his visit to London in July 2013. We welcome the commitment of the Kachin Independence Organisation and the Burmese Government to the process of dialogue.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the end of the M23 insurgency on peace and security in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mark Simmonds: We welcome the end to the M23 rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is an important step towards stabilising the region.
	However, other illegal armed groups remain active in the region, and we continue to stress the importance of continuing the fight against such groups who prey on the long-suffering civilian population.
	But military action is only part of what is needed. It is important now that regional leaders work together—with the international community's support—to implement their commitments under the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework, and to underpin this with a political dialogue. This provides the best chance of addressing the underlying causes of conflict and of achieving lasting stability in eastern DRC.

Dominican Republic

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the state of human rights in the Dominican Republic; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: The British embassy in Santo Domingo regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of the Dominican Republic, bilaterally and through the European Union. The human rights performance of the Dominican Republic will be further considered during the 18(th) Session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group in January 2014. As part of this peer-review process, the UK will put forward recommendations to the Dominican Republic in relation to human rights.

Employment Tribunals Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department.

Hugh Robertson: One employment tribunal case was lodged against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination within the last five years, but was subsequently withdrawn by the Claimant before the matter came before the courts. The FCO—in line with Cabinet Office guidance—cannot disclose more detailed information. This is for reasons of confidentiality and to avoid the possibility of revealing the identities of individual staff.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress he has made on improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) is committed to meeting the Greener Government Commitments and to reducing the energy use of its operations. The FCO's UK estates annual energy consumption has fallen by 3.4% since FY 2009-10. This has been achieved through energy saving projects including the installation of LED lighting, powering off IT equipment at night, lowering office heating temperatures, installing voltage regulation, variable speed drives and other energy efficient equipment.
	Since FY 2009-10, the annual CO2 emissions of its UK estate have dropped by 12.5%. The drop is due to switching to lower carbon energy sources, for example: non-food crop biodiesel used in heating the FCO's Hanslope Park site.
	The four FCO buildings with current display energy certificates (DECs)—King Charles Street, Old Admiralty Building, Lancaster House and 1 Carlton Gardens—have ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘E’ ratings which means they are either more energy efficient than a typical building or nearly as efficient. Hanslope Park does not qualify for a DEC as it is not visited by the public and we are investigating whether Northgate House requires a DEC given its recently changed use. I will write to the hon. Member once I have further detail.
	The FCO is also in the process of developing a project to install a tri-generation heat, cooling and power plant in King Charles Street and the current re-procurement of its IT system will also produce significant energy savings.
	The answer relates to the FCO's UK estate which for purposes of this response comprises King Charles Street, Old Admiralty Building, Lancaster House, Carlton Gardens, Hanslope Park, Northgate House and Wilton Park. It would incur a disproportionate cost to source this information from our network of Posts as this information is held locally.

Iran

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with his Iranian counterpart on the murder of Mr Ataollah Rezvani in Bandar Abbas on 24 August 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The previous Minister, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), expressed his concern about the murder, and called on Iran to conduct a full investigation. We are yet to receive an update from the Iranian Government.

Israel

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times Ministers in his Department have visited Israel in the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers, including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), have visited Israel four times in the last 12 months.

Palestinians

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the potential economic benefit of the proposed Rawabi city in the west bank.

Hugh Robertson: If successful, the proposed Rawabi city would be an important contributor to economic development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We understand that the proposed west bank city of Rawabi is planned to ultimately serve a population of 40,000. The total cost of the development is estimated at over US$850 million. It is expected to generate between 8,000 and 10,000 new construction sector jobs and an additional 3,000 to 5,000 jobs in banking, communications and information technology.

Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs following the announcement on 19 November 2013 of a new UK-Palestinian Strategic Dialogue, what the remit of the Dialogue is, who it will involve and when the first meeting will take place; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The first meeting of the Strategic Dialogue will be held in 2014, and will focus on UK-Palestinian relations, the prospects for Middle East Peace, and wider regional issues. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be involved.

South Sudan

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to tailor the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative to conditions in South Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: The Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative is tailored to local needs and circumstances. We welcome the Government of South Sudan's support of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict which was launched by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs during the UN General Assembly week in September 2013.
	The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict is currently producing a report on South Sudan. This report will set out a strategy to address problems related to conflict-related sexual violence in the areas of rule of law and justice. We will be considering how we can best support the implementation of the recommendations of that report. In addition, we are providing funding for a grassroots project to set up women's protection teams in the border region of Northern Bahr Al Ghazal to empower women at community level to identify risks and engage with local security forces to prevent sexual violence. I also stressed the importance of preventing sexual violence with Defence Minister John Kong Nyuon during my recent visit to South Sudan.

Syria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made at the United Nations about the use of incendiary weapons on civilians in Syria; whether the UK will respond to Syria's use of incendiary weapons by seeking to universalise and strengthen Protocol III on incendiary weapons of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The UK is concerned about their alleged use of incendiary weapons in Syria. It is prohibited in all circumstances to attack without discrimination, or to make civilians the object of attack and not just with incendiary weapons.
	These are matters of international law to which Syria is bound, including through the Geneva conventions. The UK remains committed to upholding the Geneva conventions and expects other states to do the same. High Contracting Parties agreed in Geneva in November not to re-open Protocol III of the convention on certain conventional weapons, on incendiary weapons, for further discussion.

Syria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on the use of frozen Syrian government assets for humanitarian aid.

Hugh Robertson: A key priority for the UK is alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people. That is why we have been at the forefront of the international humanitarian response, giving £500 million in aid and leading efforts to improve access so aid can get to those in need.
	The Assad regime has repeatedly demonstrated its complete disregard for its people's welfare, launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians—including with chemical weapons, incendiary bombs and Scud missiles—and using food as a weapon of war, laying siege to populations, including women and children, in cities and towns across Syria.
	The UK Government is carefully considering—with our international partners—how frozen funds could best be used to meet humanitarian needs in Syria. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working closely with other Departments, including the Department for International Development, on this effort. We are clear that any process would need to ensure that aid is distributed impartially to ordinary civilians, on the basis of need, and should not benefit the Syrian regime or its supporters.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Rent Arrears: Social Housing

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of trends in rent arrears in social housing.

Stephen Williams: Housing association arrears at the end of 2011-12 were 4.8% in England—an improvement in performance on the previous year when they were 5.1%.

Local Plans

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to help local authorities to develop their local plans.

Nicholas Boles: Over 200 authorities have already received help on plans from the Planning Inspectorate and the Planning Advisory Service. 76% of local planning authorities now have a published local plan.

Climate Change Officers

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities in the UK employ (a) climate change and (b) sustainable development officers.

Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in response to his topical question during DCLG oral questions today.

Affordable Housing: Lancaster

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses for social housing use only were built in the Lancaster District area solely using Government funding in the period from (a) May 1997 to May 2010 and (b) June 2010 to date.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	The Department publishes annual figures for all additional affordable housing (table 1008) and additional housing for social rent (table 1006) and affordable rent (table 1006b) by local authority area from 1991-92 to 2012-13. These tables can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
	However, this time series does not include the funding source of the housing. A one-year snapshot of all delivery in Lancaster in 2012-13 by the source of funding can be found in table 1011 at the link above.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by each local authority on voter registration in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held by DCLG. However, the following information from the Electoral Commission website may be of interest:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/performance-standards/financial-information

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has made excellent progress in improving the energy efficiency of its estate, reducing its total operational Greenhouse Gas emissions by 41% to 2012-13 against a 2009-10 baseline. This exceeds the cross-Government requirement to reduce emissions from travel and energy use by 25% by 2014-15, and has led to a reduction of c£1.3 million to the Department's annual energy bill.
	The Department has primarily achieved these improvements through adopting low and no cost energy efficiency measures, estate rationalisation (by using space more efficiently and co-locating with other organisations), and by operating its remaining buildings even more efficiently, upgrading key plant and equipment where this represents value for money.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) of 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 463W, which covered steps we are taking to reduce our spend on gas and electricity.

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the budget for the troubled families programme has been paid to each responsible local authority in each month since the start of the programme.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	Payments are made in accordance with the programme's published financial framework:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf
	Payments comprise three parts—results payments, attachment fees and grants to fund Troubled Families Co-ordinators.
	The Department has paid the following attachment fee payments to date:
	For 2012-13: £105,142,400 in May 2012 and £6,435,200 in July 2012.
	For 2013-14: £102,478,000 in June 2013 and £15,630,000 in August 2013.
	The Department has paid the following results payments to date:
	£1,005,400 in March 2013 for results claimed in January 2013
	£7,331,500 in September 2013 for results claimed in July 2013.
	The Department has paid the following Troubled Families Co-ordinator payments to date:
	£16,535,000 in May 2012 and £450,000 in July 2012.
	£16,985,000 in June 2013.

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the original cohort of troubled families have successfully completed the programme to date; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	Local authorities reported in July that they had successfully turned around the lives of 14,000 troubled families. 152 upper-tier councils in England have already identified two-thirds (over 80,000) of their families and almost 50,000 of these are already being worked with.
	A full breakdown of this information is available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237773/130906_PI_RESULTS_TABLE.xls

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria his Department uses to measure whether a troubled family has been turned around; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	The results which define a family as turned around are published in the Financial Framework for the Troubled Families Programme's Payment by Results Scheme:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-troubled-families-programme-financial-framework
	These are as follows:
	A troubled family has been 'turned around' when:
	each child in the family has had fewer than three exclusions from school and at least 85% attendance over the last three school terms; and
	the number of proven offences by all young people in the family has reduced by at least a third in the last six months; and
	the antisocial behaviour of the whole family has reduced by at least 60% over the last six months.
	Or:
	one member of the family has moved off out of work benefits, into work and kept this job for at least 13 weeks.

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the 120,000 families in the Troubled Families programme (a) had a member of their household receive an antisocial behaviour order in the 12 months before the start of the programme and (b) have had a member of their household receive an antisocial behaviour order since the start of the programme; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	My Department does not hold the information requested. This information is held by upper-tier local authorities, who lead the delivery of the programme and are responsible for the identification of troubled families, against the programme's published eligibility criteria:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf
	For a family to be eligible, it must meet at least two out of three of the nationally published criteria. Where only two national criteria have been met, the family must also meet a local eligibility criterion. The national eligibility criteria include families in which at least one member is subject to an antisocial behaviour intervention, such as an antisocial behaviour order.

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the 120,000 families in the Troubled Families programme (a) had no parent in work at the start of the programme, (b) now have at least one parent in work and (c) now have both parents in work; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 22 November 2013
	My Department does not hold the information requested. This information is held by upper-tier local authorities, who lead the delivery of the programme and the identification of troubled families, against the programme's published eligibility criteria:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11469/2117840.pdf
	For a family to be eligible, it must meet at least two out of three of the nationally published criteria. Where only two national criteria have been met, the family must also meet a local eligibility criterion. The national eligibility criteria include families in which at least one member is in receipt of out of work benefits.

Fire Services: Cleveland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with Cleveland Fire Authority on amendments to the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to permit the spinning out of fire brigades as public service mutuals.

Brandon Lewis: I and my officials meet with representatives from external interest groups, such as fire and rescue authorities, from time to time on a whole range of issues and details of meetings are published regularly. I refer the hon. Member to my speech in the Adjournment Debate, at which he attended, of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 470 onwards, which sets out my position on mutuals very clearly.

Housing: Construction

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes have been built (a) nationally, (b) in Kingston-Upon Hull and (c) in Greater London since 1 January 2009.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer November 2013
	Statistics on house building completions in each local authority area and England are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link.
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Local Government Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much local government general revenue, excluding the housing revenue account, has been provided by (a) council tax, (b) business rates, (c) central Government grant both general and specific and (d) fees and charges in each financial year since the introduction of the council tax.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 12 November 2013
	Historical figures on local government funding can be found in the annual publication, “Local government financial statistics England”, copies of which can be found online and which are also presented to Parliament each year further to section 168(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-government-finance-statistics-england

Local Government Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of people employed by private and voluntary sector providers of local government services in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data on or estimate the number of people employed by private and voluntary sector providers of local government services in England.

New Towns

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what progress the Government has made in delivering garden cities and new towns;
	(2)  with reference to the Government's housing strategy, launched on 21 November 2011, when he plans to publish the prospectus for the establishment of new garden cities and new towns.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 21 November 2013
	As promised in the coalition agreement, this Government has scrapped top-down Whitehall planning, included ending the last Government's failed so-called eco-towns programme which built nothing but resentment. Instead, this Government is committed to working with local communities to build more homes and promote sustainable development.
	To date, our large sites programme has provided total investment now of over £82.7 million of recoverable capital funding and nearly £6 million of capacity funding to bring forward up to 69,000 new homes.
	We are supporting local ambitions for locally-led new communities that incorporate high quality and design standards, including garden city principles. We have provided support for the development of new communities such as:
	Cranbrook near Exeter, where we have invested over £20 million to create up to 6,300 homes and 1,500 jobs;
	Wokingham, where we have invested over £25 million to enable the development of up to 2,500 new homes and a Science and Innovation Park;
	Sherford, where our investment of over £32 million will accelerate up to 5,500 homes and approximately 5,000 new jobs;
	Ebbsfleet, where DCLG, DFT and the Highways Agency worked in close collaboration with local authorities and developers to find solutions to transport issues at eastern Quarry, helping to bring forward a site with wider potential for up to 22,000 homes.
	In February this year we published a prospectus inviting bids for a further £474 million of recoverable investment for 2013-2015 through our Local Infrastructure Fund:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-infrastructure-fund-prospectus
	Over 50 bids were registered and 14 sites were shortlisted for potential investment following detailed due diligence, which is currently ongoing.
	For 2015-16 an additional £102 million of investment is available. We will launch a prospectus inviting further bids for this funding in the spring.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of parking charges at business parks on businesses and local economies.

Brandon Lewis: The Government does recognise the importance of good affordable parking and is committed to putting an end to excessive parking charges and unfair parking fines which push up the cost of living, and damage the local economy. We have already taken action to increase the number of parking spaces and withdrawn guidance that encouraged councils to set high parking fees.
	We are currently looking at what more can be done to reform parking rules and a consultation document will shortly be published by the Department for Transport.
	More information can be found in my Department's press notice of 27 September 2013 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-parking-reform-proposals-to-support-local-shops-and-high-streets

Private Rented Housing

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to encourage the delivery of more private-rented sector accommodation.

Kris Hopkins: This Government is committed to a bigger and better Private Rented Sector which is why, following the Montague review, we have put in place the £1 billion Build to Rent fund, the £10 billion Housing Guarantees schemes, and the Private Rented Sector Taskforce.

Private Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in private rented accommodation were at risk of poverty in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which figures are available.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of households at risk of poverty.

Senior Civil Servants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many senior civil servants left his Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was.

Brandon Lewis: The following table sets out the number of senior civil servants who have left my Department and Executive agencies under voluntary exit and the total amounts paid through 2010 to 2013.
	
		
			 Organisation 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Main    
			 DCLG senior civil service voluntary exits 2 23 6 
			 DCLG senior civil service total voluntary exits costs (£) 225,326 785,017 633,538 
			     
			 Executive agencies    
			 Fire Service College 0 0 0 
			 Planning Inspectorate 0 0 0 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 0 0 0 
		
	
	Staff in my Department's other public bodies do not have the status of civil servants.
	Figures on senior civil service voluntary exits through 2010-13 reflect the completion of the Department's major programme of restructuring, shrinking the size of the Department. Our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that total staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £99 million in 2012-13, a reduction of 54% in cash terms, or a saying of £117,000,000 a year. The number of staff has been reduced from 3,781 full-time equivalent in 2009-10 to 1,681 in 2012-13, a reduction of 56%.
	The Department publishes information on the number and cost of staff leaving Under a voluntary exit scheme in its annual report and accounts which can be viewed at
	www.gov.uk/dclg
	The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in December 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years after a departure. The revised terms mean all of the costs now fall within the year of departure. The National Audit Office has estimated that the changes have reduced exit costs by around 40% to 50% across the whole of the scheme compared to the previous terms. The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.

Social Rented Housing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated annual cost to each registered social landlord in England and Wales was of holding a vacant (a) one-bedroom house, (b) two-bedroom house, (c) three-bedroom house and (d) bungalow in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Kris Hopkins: My Department does not collect this information.

Social Rented Housing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many property sales have taken place for each registered social landlord in each month since January 2013 in England and Wales; and what the average discount to house buyers was in (a) January, (b) February, (c) March, (d) April, (e) May, (f) June, (g) July, (h) August and (i) September 2013.

Kris Hopkins: Although monthly figures are not available financial year statistics were published in October. These show that 9,920 social housing sales were made in 2012-13 by private registered providers (the new term for registered social landlords). These sales are in addition to those made by local authorities and include sales through the Preserved Right to Buy, Right to Acquire and Social Homebuy schemes.
	2,458 of these 9,920 sales were under the Preserved Right to Buy scheme, with an average discount of 50%. Discount data for other schemes are not available.
	More detailed data on each private registered provider can be found in the Statistical Data Return, published by the Homes and Communities Agency, here:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/news/second-statistical-data-return

Social Rented Housing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what analysis his Department has undertaken of waiting lists for (a) one-bedroom houses, (b) two-bedroom houses, (c) three-bedroom houses and (d) bungalows for each registered social landlord in England and Wales since January 2013.

Kris Hopkins: This information is not collected centrally.

Social Rented Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of working-age tenants in the social rented sector whose housing costs have (a) increased, (b) decreased and (c) stayed the same as a result of the implementation of the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The information requested is not available.

Social Rented Housing: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the level of housing supply for smaller units for those affected by the under-occupancy penalty in (a) Vale of Clwyd constituency and (b) North Wales.

Kris Hopkins: My Department is only responsible for housing in England.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

Brandon Lewis: Each of the principle access numbers operated by the Department and its agencies (the Planning Inspectorate and the Homes and Communities Agency) are 030 numbers.
	030 numbers were specifically designed for not-for-profit organisations, charities and public sector bodies to offer consumers a single point of contact nationally. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and are included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way.
	For the purposes of answering this question, I have not reviewed or included the practices of all the organisations which may receive grant funding from or have contracts with the Department.

JUSTICE

Children: Protection

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when she expects her Department's targeted consultation on child neglect to be completed.

Damian Green: I am replying as this area of the law (The Children and Young Persons Act 1933) is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
	I have asked my officials to report to me before the end of the year and will then consider next steps.

Crime: Victims

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on alleged premium rate telephone numbers being used to access victim support; if he will investigate such allegations with a view to taking appropriate action; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice is aware of the issue and is working with the national charity, Victim Support, to look at ways of reducing the cost to people calling its national Victim Supportline.
	Victim Support does offer a call back service to anybody leaving a message or raising concerns about the cost of contacting the helpline. People can also contact their local Victim Support in office hours on local rate numbers or e-mail the Victim Supportline as an alternative to calling.
	No other public-facing premium rate numbers are used by the Department.
	I welcome the forthcoming Cabinet Office guidance on prefix number selection and best practice in the use of premium rate telephone numbers.

National Tactical Response Group

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on which occasions the National Tactical Response Group was called out in each month since January 2010;
	(2)  to which prisons the National Tactical Response Group has been called out in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service's National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) is a specialist resource to assist both public and private sector establishments in safely managing and resolving serious incidents in prisons. NTRG also supports “Tornado” response teams. Operation Tornado is the code name used by the National Offender Management Service to describe mutual aid arrangements across the prison estate in England and Wales. Trained staff are deployed from neighbouring establishments to assist with the most serious incidents. Available information shows that the incidences of deployment of Tornado teams from April 2010 to 30 September 2013 have fallen.
	NTRG staff have been called to attend incidents at only 45% of the total number of establishments in the past year, illustrating that the majority of prisons have not required assistance. The number of callouts has been fairly consistent over the period in question, though there has been a slight rise in the number of callouts over recent months. This is mainly due to minor incidents such as prisoners protesting by climbing onto the netting between landings. NTRG staff have the specialist skills required to deal with such incidents which accounted for 68% of all the callouts in the past year, and they are frequently called to attend as a precautionary measure. Not all callouts result in engagement by NTRG staff, with a number of situations being resolved locally. Of the 151 incidents NTRG attended up to 30 September 2013, 75% were resolved by surrender. There has been no rise in the number of serious incidents being attended.
	The following table sets out the occasions from 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2013 when NTRG has been called out to public and private sector establishments. This information does not include aborted call outs:
	
		
			  Number of NTRG callouts 
			 January 2010 7 
			 February 2010 6 
			 March 2010 2 
			 April 2010 10 
			 May 2010 11 
			 June 2010 13 
			 July 2010 11 
			 August 2010 6 
			 September 2010 10 
			 October 2010 15 
			 November 2010 16 
			 December 2010 11 
			   
			 January 2011 15 
			 February 2011 11 
			 March 2011 13 
			 April 2011 13 
			 May 2011 16 
			 June 2011 14 
			 July 2011 8 
			 August 2011 16 
			 September 2011 8 
			 October 2011 9 
			 November 2011 10 
			 December 2011  
			  6 
			 January 2012 11 
			 February 2012 10 
			 March 2012 9 
			 April 2012 12 
			 May 2012 16 
			 June 2012 13 
			 July 2012 18 
			 August 2012 16 
			 September 2012 4 
			 October 2012 3 
			 November 2012 11 
			 December 2012 6 
			   
			 January 2013 12 
		
	
	
		
			 February 2013 12 
			 March 2013 14 
			 April 2013 17 
			 May 2013 20 
			 June 2013 26 
			 July 2013 14 
			 August 2013 17 
			 September 2013 19 
		
	
	The following list sets out which public and private sector establishments have been attended by NTRG between 1 January 2010 and 30 September 2013. This information does not include aborted call outs:
	Establishments attended by NTRG in 2010
	Acklington
	Altcourse
	Ashfield
	Bristol
	Brixton
	Buckley Hall
	Camp Hill
	Canterbury
	Cardiff
	Castington
	Channings Wood
	Coldingley
	Cookham Wood
	Dartmoor
	Deerbolt
	Down View
	Elmley
	Erlestoke
	Featherstone
	Full Sutton
	Gartree
	Haverigg
	Hewell
	Highdown
	Hindley
	Holloway
	Isis
	Lancaster Farms
	Leeds
	Lindholme
	Littlehey
	Liverpool
	Long Lartin
	Moorlands
	Northallerton
	Nottingham
	Oakington
	Onley
	Parc
	Ranby
	Reading
	Rochester
	Rye Hill
	Stafford
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	The Mount
	Wakefield
	Warren Hill
	Wayland
	Wellingborough
	Werrington
	Wetherby
	Winchester
	Wormwood Scrubs
	Yarls Wood
	Establishments attended by NTRG in 2011
	Altcourse
	Ashfield
	Aylesbury
	Bedford
	Belmarsh
	Blundeston
	Bristol
	Camp Hill
	Channings Wood
	Chelmsford
	Coldingley
	Dartmoor
	Deerbolt
	Dorchester
	Downview
	Elmley
	Erlestoke
	Exeter
	Featherstone
	Feltham
	Ford
	Garth
	Gloucester
	Guys Marsh
	Haverigg
	Highdown
	Highpoint
	Hindley
	Isis
	Lancaster Farms
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lewes
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Littlehey
	Long Lartin
	Manchester
	Moorlands
	Northallerton
	Nottingham
	Parc
	Pentonville
	Peterborough
	Portland
	Preston
	Risley
	Rochester
	Rye Hill
	Send
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Swaleside
	Swansea
	Swinfen Hall
	The Verne
	Wakefield
	Wandsworth
	Wellingborough
	Wetherby
	Winchester
	Woodhill
	Establishments attended by NTRG in 2012
	Altcourse
	Aylesbury
	Bedford
	Belmarsh
	Birmingham
	Blundeston
	Brixton
	Buckley Hall
	Campsfield House
	Channings Wood
	Chelmsford
	Coldingley
	Cookham Wood
	Dartmoor
	Durham
	Elmley
	Everthorpe
	Featherstone
	Feltham
	Forest Bank
	Foston Hall
	Garth
	Glen Parva
	Gloucester
	Haverigg
	Hewell
	Highpoint
	Hindley
	Holme House
	Huntercombe
	Isis
	Lancaster Farms
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Long Lartin
	Lowdham Grange
	Moorland
	Morton Hall
	Nottingham
	Onley
	Parc
	Parkhurst
	Portland
	Preston
	Ranby
	Reading
	Rochester
	Rye Hill
	Stocken
	Swaleside
	Swinfen Hall
	The Mount
	The Verne
	Wakefield
	Wealstun
	Werrington
	Wetherby
	Whitemoor
	Winchester
	Wolds
	Woodhill
	Wormwood Scrubs
	Establishments attended by NTRG—January to September 2013
	Aylesbury
	Camp Hill
	Cardiff
	Channings Wood
	Coldingley
	Cookham Wood
	Deerbolt
	Dorchester
	Dovegate
	Elmley
	Everthorpe
	Featherstone
	Feltham
	Full Sutton
	Garth
	Gartree
	Glen Parva
	Guys Marsh
	Haverigg
	Hewell
	Highdown
	Highpoint
	Hindley
	Holme House
	Hull
	Isis
	Lancaster Farms
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lewes
	Lincoln
	Lindholme
	Littlehey
	Liverpool
	Long Lartin
	Lowdham Grange
	Moorland
	Morton Hall
	Northumberland
	Nottingham
	Onley
	Parc
	Pentonville
	Peterborough
	Preston
	Ranby
	Risley
	Rye Hill
	Stafford
	Stocken
	Stoke Heath
	Styal
	Swaleside
	Swinfen Hall
	Wandsworth
	Wayland
	Wealstun
	Werrington
	Wetherby
	Winchester
	Wolds
	Woodhill
	Wymott

Offenders: Deportation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals were deported after having served a custodial sentence in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	The Home Office seeks to deport from the UK foreign national offenders who meet the following criteria:
	A court recommendation.
	For non-EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years, or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (other than possession).
	For EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	The following table sets out the number of foreign national offenders removed or deported from the UK in each year of the last five years. Please note that data prior to 2007 is not considered sufficiently reliable.
	The table includes foreign national offenders who do not meet the criteria set out above and are removed from the UK under Section 10(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 10(1) relates to the removal of individuals unlawfully in the UK.
	
		
			  Total number of foreign national offenders removed by the Home Office 
			 2007 4,200 
			 2008 5,395 
			 2009 5,530 
			 2010 5,342 
			 2011 4,649 
			 2012 4,765

Offenders: Housing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many halfway houses are currently in operation; and how much has been spent on such institutions in the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The term “halfway house” is not one which is used in the prison or probation context. Where an offender is released from prison on licence, they must seek the approval of their supervising officer for the place they wish to reside, unless they are required, as a condition of licence, to reside at a specified address, such as an approved premises. A supervising officer may approve, following risk assessment as appropriate, private rented accommodation for an dwelling. Such properties are not funded centrally. The only properties which the Ministry of Justice funds centrally are approved premises (of which there are 100 in England and Wales) and properties operated under the Bail Accommodation and Support Service contract with Stonham, part of Home Group.

Prisoners: Rastafarianism

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the special meal which Rastafarian prisoners will be provided with for Ethiopian Christmas will consist of.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service is responsible for setting food policy for all prison establishments in England and Wales.
	Specific arrangements for religious festivals are made locally by prisons. Guidance is included in three Prison Service Instructions - 51/2011 (Faith and Pastoral Care for Prisoners, currently being revised to include information on Quakerism and Rastafari), 44/2010 (Catering Meals for Prisoners) and 33/2013 (Religious festival dates for 2014), copies of which are in the House Library. Rastafarian prisoners and some Orthodox prisoners celebrate Christmas on 7 January. On this date, prisoners will have access to a published menu and be able to pre-select a meal of their choice. Any decision to include a meal option specifically to mark this day will be taken locally.

Young Offender Institutions

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average daily cost is of food (a) for breakfast, (b) for lunch, (c) for dinner and (d) in total for each juvenile in a young offenders institution.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is responsible for setting food policy for all prison establishments in England and Wales. This policy requires prisoners to be provided with three meals a day. Meals must be safe to eat, offer prisoners variety and meet the nutritional, religious and medical needs of all. Currently each prison decides what meals are made available on a day-to-day basis against a specification of requirement set out in Prison Service Instruction 44/2012 Catering Meals for Prisoners. The actual average national daily meal cost across all public sector prisons (including young offender institutions and IRCs) for fiscal year ending March 2013 was £2.20. Based on the new food contract agreed in October 2012 which is set to achieve significant food spend savings of 11% over the term of the contract, NOMS has been able to reduce food budgets in prisons to £1.96 per prisoner per day for 2013-14.
	While the amount spent on prisoner food within public sector prisons is available, NOMS does not require each establishment to provide a breakdown of individual meal costs per prisoner per day and is therefore not able to provide this information for different segments of the prison population. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number is of young offenders dealt with annually by each youth offending team in England.

Jeremy Wright: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are the statutory multi-agency bodies who deliver youth justice on the ground. There are 158 YOTs in England and Wales, which sit within, and are accountable to, local authorities. YOTs work with a range of different services from prevention to enforcement. Youth Offending Teams play a key role in diverting young people away from crime.
	The table shows the average number of young people per YOT who received a disposal in each year between 2009-10 to 2011-12, in England and Wales. The Youth Justice Board does not collect data on the average number of young people who have been in contact with a YOT in each of the above years. Therefore the data relates only to those who have received a disposal and may not be representative of the full number of young people in contact with a YOT.
	Figures are provided against the backdrop of numbers of first time entrants falling from 62,555 to 36,677 and numbers of young people (under 18) in custody falling from an average of 2,418 to 1,963 during the same period.
	
		
			  Average number of young people who received a disposal in each year per YOT 
			 2009-10 681 
			 2010-11 547 
			 2011-12 420 
		
	
	These data have been provided by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and are provided for each financial year. Data are only available from 2009-10 to 2011-12. Data on the number of young people receiving disposals in 2012-13 will be published in the 2012-13 Youth Justice Statistics in January 2014.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: South West

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has made available for Better Bus areas in (a) Dorset and (b) the South West.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has not provided any funding for Better Bus Areas in Dorset. In October 2013, the Department announced a new Better Bus Area in the South West. The West of England Better Bus Area, centred around Bath and Bristol, was awarded total funding worth £1.3 million between 2013 and 2017.
	In 2012, the Department provided the following funding through the earlier Better Bus Area scheme to local authorities in the South West:
	
		
			 Local authority Scheme name Funding provided (£) 
			 Bournemouth The Next Stop 3,435,000 
			 Bristol West of England Better Bus Scheme 4,986,000 
			 Torbay Travel Torbay Interactive 514,700 
			 Wiltshire Salisbury City Public Transport Complementary Improvement Package 394,320

Crossrail Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to announce the preferred bidder for the Crossrail rolling stock contract.

Stephen Hammond: Crossrail Ltd is currently evaluating the three bids that were returned for the Crossrail Rolling Stock and Depot contract in August this year. This process is due to be complete and the contract awarded to the winning bidder by mid-2014. I will make a written ministerial statement once the procurement process is complete.
	The goal of the Crossrail rolling stock procurement is to secure the right train at the right price for both fare payers and taxpayers.

Cycling: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources his Department has allocated to reducing the number of cyclists being killed on the roads.

Robert Goodwill: The safety of all cyclists is important to the Government, that's why we have invested more in cycling than previous governments. The Department will have spent £278 million directly on cycling in the five years 2010-11 to 2014-15. For example, the Department has allocated £35 million for cycle safety projects at junctions. In addition £535 million has been invested through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) on projects involving cycling. This funding has gone to support cycle infrastructure and training to improve conditions and safety for cyclists.
	The Government, through the reduction of bureaucracy and supporting changes in regulations, has made it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mph zones, “Trixi” mirrors and highway measures to support cycle safety. In addition we are working with local authorities and Transport for London on trialling innovative schemes to improve cycle safety at junctions, as well as supporting the European Union to improve lorry design standards.

Cycling: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what level of detail his Department holds information on the causes of fatal cycle incidents.

Robert Goodwill: Statistical data on reported road traffic accidents do not include information about who or what caused the accident. This information would only be known following a detailed accident investigation.
	However, a police officer may choose between one and six different factors that they felt contributed to the accident. The contributory factors reflect the reporting officer's opinion at the time of reporting and are not necessarily the result of extensive investigation. Moreover it is recognised that subsequent enquires could lead to the reporting officer changing their opinion. It is important to note where some factors may have contributed to an accident it may be difficult for a police officer attending the scene after the accident has occurred to identify these factors.
	The Department has published tables on contributory factors together with other statistics on reported road casualties in Great Britain at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-accidents-and-safety-statistics
	The 10 most commonly occurring contributory factors for fatal accidents involving at least one pedal cyclist are given in the following table:
	
		
			 Contributory factors in fatal accidents involving at least one pedal cycle 2012 
			  Pedal cycle(1) Other vehicle(2) All vehicles 
			 Contributory factor Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
			 No contributory factor for vehicle 45 38 40 37 85 37 
			 Failed to look properly 29 25 38 35 67 29 
			 Cyclist entering road from pavement 19 16 0 0 19 8 
			 Loss of control 15 13 1 1 16 7 
			 Failed to judge other person's path or speed 10 8 21 19 31 13 
			 Poor turn or manoeuvre 9 8 9 8 18 8 
			 Careless, reckless or in a hurry 9 8 11 10 20 9 
			 Impaired by alcohol 7 6 1 1 8 3 
			 Cyclist wearing dark clothing at night 6 5 0 0 6 3 
			 Defective brakes 4 3 0 0 4 2 
			 Number of vehicles 118 100 109 100 230 100 
			 (1) Contributory factor ascribed to the pedal cyclist who was killed. (2) Contributory factor ascribed to other vehicles in the accident.

Cycling: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycling fatalities were determined to have been caused by (a) an HGV, (b) a bus, (c) a car and (d) an error by the cyclist in the last five years.

Robert Goodwill: The Department does not collect information explicitly on who or what caused road traffic accidents nor does it attribute any blame to drivers or riders for accidents.
	The Department collects information on contributory factors in accidents which are aimed at providing insight into why and how road accidents occur. The contributory factors reflect the reporting officer's opinion at the time of reporting and are not necessarily the result of extensive investigation. Moreover it is recognised that subsequent inquires could lead to the reporting officer changing their opinion. It is important to note where some factors may have contributed to a cause of an accident it may be difficult for a police officer attending the scene after the accident has occurred to identify these factors.
	The following table shows the number of contributory factors attributed to pedal cyclists who were killed in a reported road accident for 2008-12. Only contributory factors which imply rider error are included:
	
		
			 Number of cyclists killed with a contributory factor attributed to cyclist Great Britain: 2008-12 
			 Contributory factor attributed to pedal cyclist(1) Number 
			 Injudicious action 85 
			 Disobeyed automatic traffic signal 4 
			 Disobeyed 'Give Way' or 'Stop' sign or markings 10 
			 Disobeyed double white lines 0 
			 Disobeyed pedestrian crossing facility 2 
			 Illegal turn or direction of travel 3 
			 Exceeding speed limit 1 
			 Travelling too fast for conditions 18 
			 Following too close 1 
			 Vehicle travelling along pavement 3 
			 Cyclist entering road from pavement 50 
			   
			 Driver/Rider error or reaction 229 
			 Junction overshoot 8 
			 Junction restart (moving off at junction) 2 
			 Poor turn or manoeuvre 56 
			 Failed to signal or misleading signal 4 
			 Driver/Rider failed to look properly 112 
			 Driver/Rider failed to judge other person's path or speed 45 
			 Too close to cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian 1 
			 Sudden braking 5 
			 Swerved 17 
			 Loss of control 68 
			   
			 Impairment or distraction 75 
			 Driver/Rider impaired by alcohol 27 
			 Driver/Rider impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 3 
			 Fatigue 0 
			 Uncorrected, defective eyesight 1 
			 Driver/Rider illness or disability, mental or physical 9 
			 Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility 19 
			 Rider wearing dark clothing 34 
			 Driver using mobile phone 0 
			 Distraction in vehicle 0 
			 Distraction outside vehicle 5 
			   
			 Behaviour or Inexperience 47 
			 Aggressive driving 1 
			 Driver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry 40 
			 Driver/Rider nervous, uncertain or panic 4 
			 Driving too slow for conditions or slow vehicle (e.g. tractor) 0 
			 Learner or inexperienced driver/rider 1 
			 Inexperience of driving on the left 0 
			 Unfamiliar with model of vehicle 3 
			 (1) Includes only accidents where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported. 
		
	
	The Department also collects details of the number of pedal cyclists killed in accidents with different combinations of vehicles. The following table shows the number of pedal cycle fatalities in accidents involving (a) HGVs (b) buses and (c) cars, Great Britain; 2008-12:
	
		
			 Number of pedal cycle fatalities in accidents with other vehicle types Great Britain: 2008-12 
			  Vehicle type  
			  HGV Bus or Coach Car All specified vehicle types 
			 Pedal cyclists killed(1) 109 25 313 442 
			 (1) Some pedal cycle fatalities have been included multiple times as the accident involved a combination of HGV, bus and car. The final column provides the total number of fatalities in accidents involving HGVs, buses and cars.

East Coast Railway Line

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) public consultation and (b) consultation with passengers and passenger representative bodies his Department has undertaken on the privatisation of the East Coast Mainline rail service.

Stephen Hammond: A public consultation seeking views on the minimum requirements the Government should set for the specification for the InterCity East Coast franchise was held between June and September 2012. The responses to this consultation are being used to inform the franchise proposition. A consultation was also held in 2010.
	A summary of the responses to the 2012 consultation “InterCity East Coast Consultation Summary Report” is available on the Rail Franchising part of the Department's pages on the gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/rail-franchising#group_2936
	This document will be updated to set out the specification in relation to the consultation and published as a 'Stakeholder Briefing Document' with the invitation to tender which is planned for February 2014.
	The Department is engaging with Passenger Focus to enable passenger views to be considered in developing the Intercity East Coast franchise proposition and to further develop passenger consultation in future franchise competition.

East Coast Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the premium profile of the new InterCity East Coast franchise will be comparable with current arrangements on that line.

Stephen Hammond: It is not possible to confirm the premium profile of the future East Coast franchise until the detailed specification is finalised and the franchise is awarded.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has introduced a number of measures across its organisations to improve energy efficiency. These include:
	An overarching Operations Sustainability Strategy which enables the identification, management and delivery of energy efficiency measures;
	Driving Standards Agency and the core Department developing and implementing Carbon Trust endorsed organisation specific Carbon Management Plans;
	Rationalisation of offices to maximise the efficient and effective use of office space;
	Relocation of staff to more appropriate sites where functions have diminished or changed;
	Partial closing of buildings during low occupancy periods (i.e. Christmas, New Year);
	Optimising Building Management Systems to minimise the use of heating and cooling;
	Installation of Automated Meter Reading (AMR) equipment;
	Installation of boiler optimisation controls to improve boiler efficiency;
	Installation of voltage optimisation equipment at large administrative buildings to reduce electricity consumption;
	Lighting improvement programmes (including the installation of LED lights where appropriate and Passive Infrared (PIR) controls);
	Optimisation of IT servers;
	Improvements to building insulation;
	Updating desktop IT with more efficient models;
	Rationalisation of peripheral IT equipment such as printers and faxes with the introduction of Multi-Functional Devices (MFDs);
	Installation of renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, air source heat pumps and photovoltaic cells where appropriate and cost-effective.
	The Department for Transport is committed to achieving all its sustainability targets and improving energy efficiency is seen as a key element in attaining that goal. At the end of the 2012-13 financial year, the Department for Transport had achieved a 19.5% reduction in Greenhouse gas emissions against the 2009-10 baseline. This performance level puts us on track to exceed the Greening Government commitments greenhouse gas emissions target (25% reduction) by the 31 March 2015 deadline.

First Great Western

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of revenue support will be given to First Great Western in the 23 month period of the recent franchise extension.

Stephen Hammond: Under the terms of the new Franchise Award signed with First Great Western, there is no revenue support mechanism. First Great Western is taking full revenue risk.

Folkestone Harbour Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of Folkestone Harbour Railway Ltd's proposals to operate tram-trains on the Folkestone Harbour Branch Line; and if he will withhold permission for closure of the line until proposals for continued rail use have been fully considered.

Stephen Hammond: The public consultation on Network Rail's proposal to close the Folkestone Harbour branch line and Folkestone Harbour station is open until 28 February 2014. The purpose of this consultation is to ensure that all parties, including Folkestone Harbour Railway Ltd, have the opportunity to put forward their views and any alternative proposals. The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), will not make any decision on the next stage of the closure process until he has had an opportunity to assess all the responses to that consultation.

Fuel Cells: Hydrogen

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to help make hydrogen fuel cells a more viable part of the transport mix.

Robert Goodwill: The Departments for Transport, for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), all actively participate in the joint industry-Government UKH2Mobility project, which was launched in January 2012. The project completed the evaluation phase and published a report in February 2013, and has since been working to develop a potential business plan for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure in the UK from 2015.
	The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) working with BIS, DECC and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has invested in excess of £41 million into fuel cell and hydrogen technologies since 2009. In this financial year 2013-14 the TSB plans to invest £4.5 million to further support fuel cell manufacturing and the supply chain and £5 million into technologies specifically enabling the market for hydrogen. Fuel cells and hydrogen technologies are a part of the TSB's Energy Strategy and further investments are anticipated during the current spending review period to continue to support UK companies developing products for this growing global market.
	In addition hydrogen fuel cell electric cars are eligible under the existing Plug-in Car Grant Scheme, administered by OLEV, which offers motorists a grant of 25% towards the cost of the vehicle, up to a maximum of £5,000.

Fuels

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to encourage drivers and vehicle owners to use greener fuels.

Robert Goodwill: The Government is committed to ensuring that the transport sector plays a full part in delivering the emissions reductions needed to meet our Climate Change Act and other environmental targets.
	The measures we are taking to deliver this include:
	providing over £400 million of support during this Parliament for the development and uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, as set out in the ‘Driving the future today’ strategy, published in September. We have also this month launched a call for evidence to inform the development of the further £500 million package of support for ultra low emission vehicles that the Government has announced for the period 2015-2020.
	supporting the use of sustainable biofuels in transport through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.
	putting £11 million into a Low Carbon Truck Trial which is supporting over 300 low carbon heavy goods vehicles—most using natural gas—and the associated refuelling infrastructure.
	providing funding through the Green Bus Fund and new £7.5 million Clean Bus Technology Fund to allow bus operators and local councils to make the switch to greener and quieter buses, including hybrid, electric and biomethane gas buses.
	evaluating the potential of hydrogen use for transport in the UK via the UKH2Mobility project, a joint Government and industry initiative.

Gillingham (Dorset) Station

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve Gillingham (Dorset) railway station.

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport currently has no plans for improvements to this station. Gillingham (Dorset) station is operated and managed by South West Trains who are best placed to advise of its future plans for any developments at that location.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect the implementation of High Speed 2 will have on rail services from Wolverhampton to London.

Robert Goodwill: The Department's aim is that all towns or cities which currently have a direct service to London will retain broadly comparable or better services once HS2 is completed.
	It is not appropriate to specify the exact timetable for train services that are planned to operate in 2026 when HS2 Phase 1 services begin. The detailed timetable development will take place nearer the time and will consider operational considerations as well as the forecast passenger demand for services.
	As highlighted in the Strategic Case, published on 29 October, in partnership with the railway industry, we intend to announce, shortly, a transparent and participatory process to consider long-term issues, opportunities and options for rail services on HS2 corridors. This will consider how these services can support the delivery of economic growth on a sustainable basis.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) location, (b) length and (c) estimated cost is of each tunnel proposed for the London to Birmingham leg of High Speed 2.

Robert Goodwill: There are 13 tunnel locations along the London to west-midlands leg of high speed rail. These total over 52 kilometres in length and at second quarter 2011 prices are estimated to cost £3,488 million. The detail of these are:
	
		
			 Location Approximate length (route metres) Approximate estimate £ million (2Q 2011) 
			 HS2 Phase 1Tunnel Estimates   
			 Euston Tunnel 7,290 521.00 
			 HS1 Link Tunnel 6,280 208.00 
			 Northolt Tunnel—East (inc. Old Oak Common Tunnel) 5,880 497.00 
			 Northolt Tunnel—West 7,860 613.00 
			 Chiltern Tunnel 13,270 812.00 
			 Bromford Tunnel 2,800 242.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Long Itchington Wood Tunnel 1,480 87.00 
			 South Heath Green Tunnel 1,200 73.00 
			 Wendover Green Tunnel 1,280 74.00 
			 Greatworth Green Tunnel 2,100 134.00 
			 Chipping Warden Green Tunnel 2,470 165.00 
			 Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel 430 29.00 
			 Burton Green Tunnel 620 33.00 
			 General notes and assumptions: Estimates are based at second quarter 2011 price levels Particular notes and assumptions: The estimates above exclude allowances for land and property and contingency

Highways Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 29 October 2013, Official Report, column 48WS on the Highways Agency, how the expected efficiency savings of £2.6 billion were calculated from (a) major capital schemes, (b) capital maintenance and renewals and (c) resource maintenance and operations.

Robert Goodwill: The estimated savings quoted in the written ministerial statement were arrived at through internal Highways Agency analysis, based on a range of sources. These are detailed in the published roads reform impact assessment, available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-the-highways-agency-into-a-government-owned-company
	Over the first 10 years following reform, the central estimates for savings on different funding lines are:
	13% on renewals work (9% on the overall maintenance budget when resurfacing is included);
	14% on major schemes and other non-maintenance investment; and
	13% on the annual resource budget, excluding private finance initiative service payments.
	By 2021, once the reforms have taken full effect, the Government estimates savings of approximately 15% per annum across all the above funding lines.
	The estimated benefits of £2.6 billion over 10 years quoted in the written ministerial statement were calculated from the low-end estimate in the impact assessment of £260 million average annual savings, in 2013-14 prices.

Morecambe-Lancaster Railway Line

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for electrification of the Morecambe to Lancaster train line.

Stephen Hammond: The route between Morecambe and Lancaster was not put forward by the rail industry as a priority for electrification and it is not included in the electrification programme for the 2014-19 period. Network Rail is currently updating the industry electrification strategy which will inform future Government decisions on further investment in electrification.

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on small businesses of suspending the trainer booking facility for motorcycle training schools identified as having cancelled 20 per cent or more of their tests booked within seven working days.

Robert Goodwill: The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) reviewed its booking arrangements for motorcycle tests in response to the Transport Select Committees report ‘The New European Motorcycle Test’ of March 2010. The agency created an online booking system (OBS) to ensure that test slot allocation is fair to all who wish to book motorcycle test appointments.
	Prior to the introduction of OBS, a minority of businesses were booking, and then cancelling at short notice, a disproportionate number of motorcycle test slots. This prevented smaller training bodies from booking test appointments to suit their business needs and from utilising appointments made available at short notice. It also proved inefficient for DSA as test slots were not utilised.
	Motorcycle tests are predominantly booked by approved training bodies (motorcycle rider training schools) on behalf of their pupils. OBS allocates training bodies a proportion of available motorcycle test slots based on the number of tests they have previously booked. Trainers who cancel 20% or more of their total test bookings within seven working days of the test date are contacted by DSA to discuss the reasons for the cancellations and are offered advice to better manage their test bookings.
	Trainers who continually fail to abide by the guidelines are kept fully informed of the potential consequences of their actions. Although their access to the trainer booking facility may be suspended they are able to continue to book tests on line for named candidates.
	Since the introduction of monitoring the number of businesses who trigger has greatly reduced.
	
		
			  Average trainers monitored 
			 2010 115 
			 2011 85 
			 2012 40 
			 2013 (to date) 6

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the availability of module one and module two practical motorcycle tests.

Robert Goodwill: DSA's customer service target is to have practical motorcycle tests available to candidates within six weeks of their date of booking; DSA currently provide module one tests in 2.1 weeks and module two tests in 2.2 weeks.
	In June 2013, acting on responses and feedback from motorcycle trainers, DSA announced module 2 (on road) motorcycle tests would be offered from an additional eight test centres. DSA have also introduced significant improvements to the on line booking service used by trainers, this enables trainers to manage their test bookings more effectively, and thereby improve the utilisation of the available test slots.

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorcycle tests were completed in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Robert Goodwill: The number of motorcycle tests completed in each year was as follows:
	
		
			  Motorcycle module 1 Motorcycle module 2 Old style (single element) motorcycle test 
			 1 January 2009 to 26 April 2009 — — 27,462 
			 27 April 2009 to 31 December 2009 42,453 31,518 — 
			 2010 55,661 47,138 — 
			 2011 60,343 58,084 — 
			 2012 67,564 64,155 — 
			 Note: The two module test was introduced on 27 April 2009.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to reform the governance arrangement of Network Rail.

Stephen Hammond: The Government is committed to Network Rail being properly accountable. Network Rail is a not-for-dividend private sector company limited by guarantee. Its board is accountable to 45 members drawn from the public, who are responsible for monitoring the company's standards of corporate governance, with the Secretary of State as a special member. Network Rail has reformed its corporate governance to become more accountable to passengers and freight customers. This includes reducing the number of members, evolving their selection criteria, enhancing their powers and links to the non-executive directors, and appointing a public interest director to articulate the interests of taxpayers during board discussions.

Office of Rail Regulation

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to expand the remit of the Office of Rail Regulation.

Stephen Hammond: As part of our reforms of the strategic road network, we are currently examining whether to give the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) a new role in assessing and advising on the overall cost efficiency of roads delivery. This is similar to the benchmarking activity already carried out by ORR for the rail sector, and a high degree of synergy appears to exist with ORR's existing functions. This could involve changing the statutory remit of ORR, as well as providing additional funds to cover roads-related work. Further details are available in the ‘Action for Roads’ Command Paper and in our recent consultation document on ‘Transforming the Highways Agency into a Government-Owned Company’:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/action-for-roads-a-network-for-the-21st-century
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-the-highways-agency-into-a-government-owned-company
	There are no plans to change the rail remit of ORR.

Oxford-Hereford Railway Line

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the changes in the (a) frequency, (b) reliability and (c) punctuality of train services on the North Cotswold Line since the redoubling of sections of that line.

Stephen Hammond: The doubling of the north Cotswold line has delivered six additional services and has reduced journey times by up to 10 minutes. The moving annual average public performance measure has improved by 2% to 85% with 91% reached in May and June of this year.

Pedestrian Crossings

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of time allocated to pedestrians to cross roads at pelican crossings; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Goodwill: The Department has not made any recent assessment of pelican crossing timings. It is up to local authorities to ensure their pedestrian crossings provide everyone with enough time to cross the road safely. The Department provides advice on calculating timings for crossings in guidance.
	The Department recommends that where a crossing may be used by a large number of older people or those with mobility issues, for example outside residential care homes, this should be taken into account when setting timings.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the UK's rail network is covered by a good 3G and 4G signal.

Stephen Hammond: Good coverage on the railway will only occur where mobile network operators have rolled out 3G and 4G adjacent to the railway itself; the Department for Transport does not hold information on what this level of coverage is.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail franchises do not currently provide wi-fi on board.

Stephen Hammond: We are aware that a number of train operators do provide wi-fi, primarily those operating long distance train services.
	In the majority of franchises, the provision of wi-fi is a commercial matter for the individual train operators. Those without a commitment within their Franchise Agreement to provide wi-fi are however under no obligation to inform the Department as to whether they provide this service or not. However, it is an aim of the Department to see more wi-fi facilities made available on new rolling stock, such as Thameslink and Intercity Express programme in the future.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that future rail franchises include mandatory targets for (a) mobile telephone and (b) Wi-Fi coverage across both standard and first class.

Stephen Hammond: Mobile phone and wi-fi coverage was not specified when letting existing rail franchises, with the exception of the current Inter City West Coast contract. However, a number of train operators contract to do so, primarily those operating long distance train services.
	Government franchising policy published earlier this year encourages franchise operators to provide services appropriate to the markets that they serve.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on ensuring seamless connectivity on major transport links, as outlined in the Command Paper, Reforming Our Railways: Putting the Customer First, Cm 8313.

Stephen Hammond: Improving mobile communications along major rail corridors is an important priority for the Government's growth agenda.
	The rail industry has agreed to work together to deliver seamless voice and data mobile services to passengers on board trains along the major rail corridors—by improving line-side mast coverage and installing on-board equipment to overcome the loss of signal penetration within carriages.

Railways: Conditions of Employment

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has given guidance on terms and conditions, including TUPE, to staff that may be transferred from the Cauldwell Walk train maintenance depot in Bedford.

Stephen Hammond: It is the responsibility of the train operator to communicate changes to terms and conditions to its staff. Any changes would be carried out in accordance with prevailing employment law including where appropriate, TUPE regulations.

Railways: Fares

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 456W, on railways: fares, what the percentage increase in fares was for each of the train operating companies in each of the last three years.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold information for annual fare increases by train operators. For regulated fares, the average permitted increases were as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2011 6 
			 2012 4.2 
			 2013 4.1 
		
	
	Train operators are not required to advise the Department of increases to unregulated fares. The Association of Train Operating Companies has published figures for annual increases for all fares (regulated and unregulated) across the network, as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2011 6.2 
			 2012 5.9 
			 2013 3.9

Railways: North West

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the Todmorden curve.

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail is currently constructing the Todmorden West Curve, with practical completion due by May 2014. Discussions are in hand regarding the introduction in December 2014 of a train service from Manchester to Burnley and Blackburn via Todmorden, to be funded by Lancashire county council.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the Thameslink rolling stock contract on existing train maintenance work at Cauldwell Walk depot in Bedford.

Stephen Hammond: Trains procured under the Thameslink Rolling Stock Contract will be maintained in Hornsey (north London) and Three Bridges (Sussex). It is for train operators to determine how and where other rolling stock fleets are maintained.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of potential changes to train maintenance work at Cauldwell Walk depot in Bedford in the next five years arising from the Thameslink rolling stock contract and new franchise agreements.

Stephen Hammond: Trains procured under the Thameslink rolling stock contract will be maintained in Hornsey (north London) and Three Bridges (Sussex). Use of other rolling stock, depots and stabling sites to deliver services under the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise is a matter for bidders to determine. Bids are expected to be received at the end of the year with contract award in 2014.

Railways: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what money has been set aside for electrification of rail lines in (a) Shrewsbury and (b) the West Midlands.

Stephen Hammond: No money has been set aside for electrification of rail lines in Shrewsbury. In the West Midlands, the Government's rail investment strategy for the 2014-19 period includes electrification of the routes between Walsall and Rugeley, Barnt Green and Bromsgrove, Coventry and Nuneaton and Coventry and Leamington Spa. The development of designs and cost estimates for these electrification schemes is currently being progressed by Network Rail.

Roads: Accidents

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths have occurred in road accidents in (a) Dorset and (b) England in each year since 2000.

Robert Goodwill: The following table shows the number of deaths occurring in reported road accidents in each year since 2000 in (a) Dorset and (b) England:
	
		
			  (a) Dorset (b) England 
			 2000 40 2,915 
			 2001 42 2,916 
			 2002 54 2,980 
			 2003 48 3,004 
			 2004 44 2,714 
			 2005 42 2,735 
			 2006 38 2,695 
			 2007 36 2,502 
			 2008 36 2,123 
			 2009 26 1,880 
			 2010 18 1,553 
			 2011 19 1,594 
			 2012 24 1,491 
		
	
	Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Roads: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to visit Shrewsbury to assess the need for the completion of the North West Relief Road in the area;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with Shropshire Council on plans to complete the North West Relief Road;
	(3)  what effect the corporatisation of the Highways Agency will have on plans to complete the North West Relief Road around Shrewsbury;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the effect that completing the North West Relief Road will have on the local economy in Shrewsbury;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the effect that completing the North West Relief Road will have on traffic in Shrewsbury town centre;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the case for the North West Relief Road being included in Government investment into roads for 2014;
	(7)  what discussions he has had with local businesses on plans to complete the North West Relief Road;
	(8)  what assessment he has had made of the effect of the publication of the Government's new command paper, Action for Roads, on the completion of the North West Relief Road;
	(9)  what funds his Department has set aside for road building and maintenance in Shrewsbury for 2014-15.

Robert Goodwill: The Shrewsbury North West Relief Road would be a local road scheme for which Shropshire county council is responsible. As this is not a Highways Agency scheme it is not affected by any future plans for the agency. Shropshire county council and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership are responsible for planning this scheme and for bidding for any funding for it from the Local Growth Fund in 2014.
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), met with the hon. Member, Shropshire county council and local business representatives on 15 October 2013, when the delegation outlined the scheme. The Secretary of State has subsequently written to the hon. Member setting out how local schemes such as the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road will be funded in the future via the Local Growth Fund.
	As this is a local scheme the Department for Transport has made no assessment of this scheme.
	In 2014-15, the Government is allocating £792 million to local highway authorities for highways maintenance through the Highways Maintenance Block and £450 million for small scale transport projects through the Integrated Transport (IT) block. From these funding streams Shropshire council will receive £13.2 million including the top up announced in the 2012 autumn statement for highways maintenance and £2.385 million for small scale transport projects.
	Both IT Block and Highways Maintenance Block are allocated according to a needs-based formula and are not ring-fenced, allowing local authorities to spend their allocations according to their own priorities, It is therefore for Shropshire council to decide how it allocates its resources and which road improvement projects to support.

Tonnage Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments in lieu of training have been received from shipping companies that qualified for the tonnage tax scheme in each year since 2001-02; and what proportion of shipping companies that qualified for the tonnage tax scheme have made such payments in each such year.

Stephen Hammond: The information is not available in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Tonnage Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average payment in lieu of training made by a shipping company participating in the tonnage tax scheme was in 2011-12.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold information on the number of PILOT payments made by each company in a particular financial year.

Travel

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Stephen Hammond: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Gross cost (£) 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Hire cars 2,011,026 1,839,439 1,853,295 
			 Helicopter hire 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Hotel accommodation 3,240,923 2,875,906 2,765,864 
			 Subsistence 1,527,571 1,347,398 1,195,945 
			 UK travel and subsistence 4,559,700 4,843,472 3,979,949 
			 Total 6,779,520 6,062,743 5,815,104 
			 Note: 1. Gross costs are included above, but the majority of costs incurred by Vehicle Certification Agency are recharged to clients. 2. Since 2012-13 monies spent by the central Department have been broken down by mode. This means that “Hotel Accommodation” and “Subsistence” include a number of overseas costs that cannot be split out of the total without disproportionate cost. 3. Driving Standards Agency does not report separate categories for accommodation or subsistence; their accounting system does not capture this data, so this has been included in “UK travel and subsistence”. 4. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency hire cars figure includes the amounts claimed by staff for driving their own vehicles. The subsistence figures also include a small element of overseas travel as, due to the volume of claims involved, it would be at a disproportionate cost to identify and remove these. The management information on hotels is only available in calendar years. 5. VOSA does not record travel costs at this level of detail and therefore it would be disproportionate cost to provide this information. 6. GCDA cannot split out hotel accommodation and subsistence costs, so the total is reported in “UK travel and subsistence”.

CABINET OFFICE

Analgesics: Death

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what changes there have been in the number of deaths resulting from the use of paracetamol and co-proxamol in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what changes there have been in the number of deaths resulting from the use of paracetamol and co-proxamol in each of the last five years. (177090)
	The following table provides the number of drug-related deaths associated with paracetamol (not from a compound formulation) and co-proxamol (paracetamol and dextropropoxyphene) in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	It is important to note that up to 30% of these deaths had more than one substance mentioned on the death certificate, and it is not possible to tell which drug was primarily responsible for the death. Also for around 10% of drug related deaths no information is provided on the death certificate about which substances were involved. More information on how to interpret data on drug-related deaths can be found in the following bulletin.
	The number of deaths related to drug poisoning registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause and the specific substance involved are published annually on the National Statistics website. The latest Statistical Bulletin on deaths from drug-related poisoning was published in August 2012 at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths related to drug poisoning where paracetamol (not from a compound formulation) or co-proxamol was mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales, deaths registered between 2008 and 2012(1,2,3,4) 
			 Deaths 
			 Registration Year Paracetamol Co-proxamol 
			 2008 147 48 
			 2009 160 32 
			 2010 139 13 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 127 18 
			 2012 123 6 
			 (1) Cause of death related to drug poisoning was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes shown in Box 1 following. (2) Deaths were included where the underlying cause was drug-related, and where paracetamol or co-proxamol was mentioned on the death certificate. Figures for paracetamol do not include paracetamol from a compound formulation. Figures for co-proxamol include those where both paracetamol and dextropropoxyphene were mentioned and where dextropropoxyphene was mentioned alone as it is very rarely ingested except in combination with paracetamol. (3) Figures include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in years 2008 to 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Registration delays do not exist in Scotland. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1: ICD-10 codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning 
			 Description ICD 10 Codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

George Galloway: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has contacted Google on stopping advertisements for unofficial websites which seek to encourage customers to pay them for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services.

Nick Hurd: The Government Digital Service is aware of this issue and is working to address it.

Employment: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what change there has been in the number of people in employment in Portsmouth South constituency since 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change there has been in the number of people in employment in Portsmouth South constituency since 2010. (176824)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	The table shows the number and net change of people employed in Portsmouth South Parliamentary Constituency. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period July 2009 to June 2010 and the latest period available July 2012 to June 2013.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: The net change in the number of people in employment in Portsmouth South constituency 
			 Thousand 
			 12 months ending: Number of people employed aged 16 and over Net change in employment(1) (+/-) 
			 June 2010 46 — 
			 June 2013(2) **47 1 
			 (1) The net change is calculated on unrounded figures. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has made good progress on improving its energy efficiency, cutting carbon emissions and energy consumption since 2009-10. Updated figures will be published in the Greening Government report next month.

Join In

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what objectives for public funding allocated to Join In have been agreed; what progress is being made to meet these objectives; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much funding the charity Join In has received from his Department in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date; how much funding it will receive in 2014-15; for what purpose such funding was allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Join In was set up in 2012 as part of the Government's ambition to build on the volunteering legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Join In have a number of key objectives focusing around the recruitment and retention of volunteers, and particularly 2012 volunteers.
	They receive funding from Cabinet Office on a September to September cycle. For the 2012 campaign they received £2.2 million and achieved their objective of supporting 6,000 events which attracted 30,000 new volunteers. For 2013 they received £2.1 million and exceeded their objective of supporting 10,000 events and attracting 100,000 new volunteers. An evaluation has been completed and an overview will shortly be available at
	www.joininuk.org
	Join In will receive an additional £1.75 million between September 2013 and September 2014 to further embed the legacy of the games, with a particular focus on community sport. Funding following September 2014 will be dependent on performance.

Ministers' Private Offices

William McCrea: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on Government Ministers hiring further political employees in their private offices at public expense.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the recent Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) 'Report Accountability and Responsiveness in the Senior Civil Service' which found that UK Ministers are under supported in comparison with those in other Westminster-derived systems overseas such as Australia and Canada.
	In response to this the Government announced its plans to allow Ministers to establish extended ministerial offices to support the effective development of policy and the delivery of priorities. Copies of the IPPR report and the related 'Civil Service Reform Plan: One Year On' are in the Library of the House.
	As is made clear in legislation, the only political employees working in Departments will continue to be special advisers. Special adviser appointments to extended ministerial offices will continue to be made in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. As now; all such appointments will require the approval of the Prime Minister.
	A copy of guidance issued to Departments on extended ministerial offices can be found in the Library of the House.

Public Inquiries

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the (a) highest, (b) lowest and (c) average cost to the public purse was of a public inquiry held in the last 30 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many public inquiries there have been in each of the last 30 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on what date each public inquiry report in the last 30 years was published; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the average length of time taken was for a public inquiry between 1983 and 2012; what the (a) longest and (b) shortest such inquiry has been; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the then Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform (Chloe Smith) on 2 November 2012, Official Report, column 434W providing detail of public inquiries conducted within the last 10 years. The information for the last 30 years is not held centrally

Social Enterprises

Toby Perkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to develop specific business support for those wishing to set up social enterprises.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	We recognise the economic contribution of social enterprises alongside their important role in helping to tackle long-standing social issues. The majority of our business support schemes are applicable to social enterprises as well as to other forms of enterprise.
	This Department has established the world's first legal form for social enterprises, Community Interest Companies, which are legally bound to use their profits and assets for public good.
	The Government recently consulted on a new tax incentive to encourage private investment in social enterprise and the intention is to introduce the relief in 2014. HM Treasury is working with this Department on the design of the relief, the policy and drafting of the legislation.
	Social enterprise may find the following schemes of particular help:
	The £20 million Investment Readiness Programme provides support to social ventures; this includes a £10 million social incubator fund which specifically targets social incubators and helps them provide support to early stage social ventures.
	Community development finance institutions (CDFIs) are a prominent vehicle for providing finance and support to social enterprises through Regional Growth Funds.
	Community investment tax relief (CITR) encourages investment in disadvantaged communities where many social enterprises operate. This is an HMT scheme administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. To date CITR has raised around £100 million of investment into the sector.
	Start-up loans support feasible business ideas to equip enterprising individuals with the tools needed to make their businesses a success.

Statistics

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the statistics that the UK is required to produce under EU law; and if he will list the directive or regulation that requires each such set of statistics to be produced.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jill Matheson, dated 22 November 2013
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office to list the statistics that the UK is required to produce under EU law; and to list the directive or regulation that requires each such set of statistics to be produced. (177048)
	Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, publishes a 'Statistical Requirements Compendium', its annual reference document that summarises key information about the production of European official statistics. The compendium includes information about the statistics required to be produced under EU law and the directive or regulation that requires their production by member states. The 2013 edition is available here:
	http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-RA-13-004/EN/KS-RA-13-004-EN.PDF

Statistics

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which statistics are currently being discussed as perhaps no longer being required under EU law.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 November 2013
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office which statistics are currently being discussed as perhaps no longer being required under EU law. (177050)
	There are currently no dossiers under consideration by the EU Council Working Party on Statistics that might result in member states no longer having to provide data for the production of a set of European official statistics.

Statistics

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will ask the National Statistician to publish a list of National Statistics data series that are published for (a) England and (b) Scotland in order to facilitate comparisons between England and Scotland.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 22 November 2013
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office if I will publish a list of National Statistics data series that are published for (a) England and (b) Scotland in order to facilitate comparisons between England and Scotland. (177051)
	The UK Statistics Authority annually publishes a list of statistics which are at the time of publication designated as National Statistics. That list specifies the geographical basis for each National Statistic i.e. whether its coverage extends to a single nation, England and Wales, Great Britain or the United Kingdom. I have arranged for the production of a version of the latest list including only statistics whose coverage is stated to be England or Scotland. A copy of that list has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	I am also arranging the production of another list which will specify those statistics, whose coverage is stated to be England and Wales, Great Britain or the United Kingdom, that include a breakdown by nation. I shall write to you once that list is available and also place a copy in the House of Commons Library.
	The UK Statistics Authority has recognised a need to improve the information that users have about the comparability of statistics across the four nations of the United Kingdom. It recently published its Monitoring Report 'Official Statistics in the context of the referendum on Scottish independence'
	http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/monitoring/monitoring-reports/monitoring-report-6-2013---official-statistics-in-the-context-of-the-referendum-on-scottish-independence.pdf
	Moreover, the Office for National Statistics is planning to publish a compendium of statistics for the constituent countries of the UK, for those statistics where comparable data exist or can be easily derived. The compendium will be accompanied by a report of some work recently completed on the annotation of relevant official statistics with an assessment of comparability.

Unemployment: Vale of Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of the workforce were classed as long-term unemployed in Vale of Clwyd constituency in (a) May 2010 and (b) the most recent recent period for which data is available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what proportion of the workforce were classed as long-term unemployed in Vale of Clwyd constituency in (a) May 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which data is available. (176808)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates on duration of unemployment for Vale of Clwyd parliamentary constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
	As an alternative, we have provided the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for more than 12 months in Vale of Clwyd parliamentary constituency, for May 2010 and October 2013, the latest period available. The estimates of the number of people in the workforce have been taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The workforce has been defined as all those who are economically active, that is either employed or unemployed.
	Table 1 shows the number of people in Vale of Clwyd claiming JSA for over 12 months as a percentage of people who were economically active from estimates compiled from APS interviews held during the period January to December 2010 and January to December 2012.
	The counts of people claiming JSA are those who are claiming benefits for unemployment related purposes. At a UK level the total number of JSA claimants is around two thirds of the total unemployment level.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Level and percentage(1) of economically active people claiming jobseeker’s allowance for over 12 months in Vale of Clwyd 
			  Level Percentage of Workforce 
			 May 2010 320 1.0 
			 October 2013 530 1.6 
			 (1) Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in period divided by the number of economically active people according to the nearest Annual Population Survey 12 month calendar period January to December. Note: Data rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System/Annual Population Survey

Housing: Construction

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  with reference to the comments made by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 November 2012 to the National House-Building Council relating to garden cities and new towns, what progress the Government has made in creating more certainty for the delivery of large-scale housing projects;
	(2)  what progress the Government has made in offering incentives to local communities for large-scale housing projects;
	(3)  further to the comments made by the Prime Minister on 19 March 2012 to the Institute of Civil Engineering relating to garden cities and new towns, what the outcome was of the consultation he announced.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 21 November 2013
	I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	As promised in the coalition agreement, this Government has scrapped top-down Whitehall planning, included ending the last Government's failed so-called eco-towns programme which built nothing but resentment. Instead, this Government is committed to working with local communities to build more homes and promote sustainable development.
	To date, our large sites programme has provided total investment now of over £82.7 million of recoverable capital funding and nearly £6 million of capacity funding to bring forward up to 69,000 new homes.
	We are supporting local ambitions for locally-led new communities that incorporate high quality and design standards, including garden city principles. We have provided support for the development of new communities such as:
	Cranbrook near Exeter, where we have invested over £20 million to create up to 6,300 homes and 1,500 jobs;
	Wokingham, where we have invested over £25 million to enable the development of up to 2,500 new homes and a Science and Innovation Park;
	Sherford, where our investment of over £32 million will accelerate up to 5,500 homes and approximately 5,000 new jobs;
	Ebbsfleet, where DCLG, DFT and the Highways Agency worked in close collaboration with local authorities and developers to find solutions to transport issues at eastern Quarry, helping to bring forward a site with wider potential for up to 22,000 homes.
	In February this year we published a prospectus inviting bids for a further £474 million of recoverable investment for 2013-2015 through our Local Infrastructure Fund:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-infrastructure-fund-prospectus
	Over 50 bids were registered and 14 sites were shortlisted for potential investment following detailed due diligence, which is currently ongoing.
	For 2015-16 an additional £102 million of investment is available. We will launch a prospectus inviting further bids for this funding in the spring.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers Allowance

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the carer's allowance earnings limit to (a) £101 and (b) £105.

Michael Penning: Robust data are not available to estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the carer's allowance earnings limit to (a) £101 and (b) £105.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(2)  how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(3)  how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(4)  how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(5)  how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action;
	(6)  how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Michael Penning: The Department personnel computer system does not hold the information you have requested. While information may be held at local management level, accessing it would require a manual trawl of clerically held records. To provide this information would therefore incur disproportionate costs.

Employment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition his Department uses for the term job outcome.

Esther McVey: The term job outcome (used on the Work programme) relates to a job outcome fee which is paid after the job start date; and a customer has been in employment and off-benefit each week; and there has been an either continuous or cumulative individual period of employment (Job Outcome payment trigger point) as detailed in the Specification for each Customer Group.
	Full requirements relating to job outcomes are detailed in the Work Programme Provider Guidance which can be found through the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-pg-chapter-15.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether an employment and support allowance (ESA) claimant who successfully appeals following a mandatory reconsideration will have their reinstated ESA backdated to cover the full time period of the reconsideration.

Esther McVey: If the original disallowance decision is overturned at appeal, payment of employment and support allowance will be reinstated and backdated to the effective date of the decision in their case. Any payments owed for this period will be restored. Equally, if the original disallowance decision is reversed after mandatory reconsideration and no appeal is then necessary, payment of employment and support allowance will be reinstated and backdated in the same way.

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a claimant of employment and support allowance will prejudice or influence the outcome of their mandatory reconsideration if they make a claim for jobseeker's allowance during or before the reconsideration period.

Esther McVey: The DWP decision maker’s decision at the mandatory reconsideration stage for employment and support allowance is intended to be an independent step in the process, therefore, whether the claimant has claimed jobseeker's allowance or not in the intervening period, this will have no bearing on the mandatory reconsideration decision. Work Capability Assessment decisions are binding—a jobseeker's allowance decision maker cannot decide that a claimant is too ill to work if this contradicts the ESA decision maker's decision. However, the claimant must agree to the jobseeker's agreement/claimant commitment to be eligible.

Employment and Support Allowance

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long he intends the mandatory reconsideration of employment and support allowance to take; and if he will introduce a maximum time limit for this process.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to introduce a timescale for completion of the mandatory reconsideration process, however, the process will be monitored to avoid any unnecessary delays. The time it takes to complete a mandatory reconsideration will vary depending on the circumstances of the case, but DWP will contact the claimant once the mandatory reconsideration process is complete.
	If no further information is needed and the case is straightforward, the mandatory reconsideration process for employment and support allowance could be completed relatively quickly. We would usually expect this to take around 14 days, but it could take longer. For example, if further information is needed, the law states that DWP have to give people one month to provide it and this may be extended further at the decision maker's discretion, so cases like this may take longer.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants for employment and support allowance were placed in the (a) support group and (b) work related activity group by assessment centre in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14.

Esther McVey: This information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	The information we do have for claimants of employment and support allowance (ESA) by phase of claim by region, Jobcentre Plus district, local authority or parliamentary constituency, is available at:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants for employment and support allowance were placed in the (a) support group and (b) work related activity group by each Jobcentre Plus office in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14.

Esther McVey: This information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	The information we do have for claimants of employment and support allowance (ESA) by phase of claim by region, Jobcentre Plus district, local authority or parliamentary constituency, is available at:
	www.nomisweb.co.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of employment and support allowance assessments for people with progressive diseases; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is based on an individual's functional ability rather than the condition itself. It is therefore important to review claimants appropriately to ensure they are receiving the correct level of support.
	We are committed to ensuring that the WCA assesses people as fairly and as accurately as possible, which is why it is subject to continuous review and refinement. We are looking forward to the fourth Independent review which is being conducted by Dr Paul Litchfield and is due to be published on 12 December.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the financial incentives used in (a) Job Growth Wales and (b) the Work programme in attracting and keeping young people on to work and training programmes.

Esther McVey: Jobs Growth Wales is a Welsh Government programme, and so it is for the Welsh Government to make an assessment. The programme operates on a wage incentive basis.
	The Work programme gives providers the freedom to refer claimants to any support that is appropriate for their circumstances, including training and employment support. Providers are able to make use of financial incentives for both employers and training providers. The results of the programme are published in our official statistics releases; these set out how many claimants have been moved into sustained work by providers, but do not make an assessment of the different models of support that the providers have used.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the integration of UK and Welsh Government initiatives to return young people to the jobs market.

Esther McVey: Department for Work and Pension officials hold regular meetings with officials from the Welsh Government to discuss policy. On 21 November 2013, Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in the Welsh Assembly Government and I discussed improving the integration of initiatives that the UK Government and Welsh Government have available to young people.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve recruitment services for young unemployed people in Portsmouth South constituency.

Esther McVey: To support the young unemployed people in Portsmouth South the personal advisers in the Jobcentre deliver the following:
	Group information sessions (GIS) for 18 to 24-year-old jobseekers every Wednesday afternoon, covering attitudes and behaviours, the importance of a CV being of a recognised standard and effective jobsearching, including the role social media plays in looking for work. We also cover how to complete application forms to meet the expectations of today's employers. When possible we endeavour to involve local employers who support the Youth Contract. These sessions have developed as a result of consultation with our staff and customers and participants have been extremely positive in their feedback.
	We refer all jobseekers who do not have a CV, require basic skills development or are in need of additional support in undertaking job search activities to the appropriate provision. This ensures they are always taking steps closer to finding and then staying in work.
	We actively promote work trials and work experience to our young people, providing marketing material and working closely with local employers.
	The National Careers Service (NCS) hold monthly GIS for young jobseekers in need of extra support. The GIS covers;
	How to market yourself
	Transferable skills
	CVs—good and bad examples
	Job hunting techniques
	Interview techniques
	Use of social media
	Work trials/work experience
	The NCS are on site in Portsmouth Jobcentre daily, providing support to our customers, particularly focusing on the standard of CVs and undertaking mock interviews. They are interviewed using competency based questions, as this is typical of current recruitment practice. Constructive feedback is given on how they might consider alternative responses which would better promote them to a prospective employer.
	Our advisers use the on site suite of internet access devices (IADs) to support claimants to set up e-mail accounts, construct a CV, apply on line for vacancies and make best use of Universal Jobmatch, the Government's online recruitment portal.
	We also provide ‘Shaping my future’ (delivered by Support Contract) a four week course aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds in receipt of jobseeker's allowance. The module delivers two weeks classroom based training, immediately followed by two weeks full-time work experience. The classroom based activity delivers soft employability skills, personal development, self-esteem, presentation, work environments (expectations/behaviour) as well as functional skills such as how to job search, registering with agencies and volunteering. Work experience placements are in the following sectors; administration, retail, IT, catering, leisure and manual work. This four week course is held bi-monthly in Portsmouth but is also available in Havant and Southampton for our young people to access.
	‘Make it work’ provides the same module as ‘Shaping my future’ and is delivered by Highbury college, but with additional support provided by Reed employment agency both during the course and for 13 weeks after, helping our customers find employment or apprenticeships.
	We hold weekly work experience GIS for jobseekers who lack work experience and are in need of improving their job prospects and gaining an insight in to the working environment. These are delivered by our employment adviser and 18 to 24 year adviser and we also provide customers with self marketing material.
	We also run fortnightly wage incentive GIS for 18 to 24-year-olds who have been in receipt of jobseekers allowance for five months plus. This workshop delivers job specific information regarding what an employer is looking for when recruiting staff and why it is important to research the company to understand what they are looking for from staff. It also covers how to self-market and promote wage incentive to employers, whenever possible we include local employers to co-deliver this workshop.
	We produce a young persons newsletter promoting further help and support available in the local area from our partners, ie Prince's Trust, Catch 22 and "Fresh" a new community project funded by the BIG Lottery aimed to inspire and encourage positive life changes and improve employment opportunities along with apprenticeships.
	We work closely with 18 to 24-year-olds and focus our employer work on helping young people into work. Portsmouth has a long established network of organisations and our employer team work closely with these to achieve this and overcome barriers to work. This includes support organisations, colleges and training providers including Portsmouth city council.
	Further examples of the work our employer team and our young person's advisory team do includes:
	Working, with incoming employers such as The Range and Unbeatable Car to ensure young unemployed people are recruited and well represented in the workforce. The wage incentive available through the Youth Contract helps employers to do this. We also work with many employers across the local area to match young people to vacancies and encourage employers to offer opportunities to young people. We encourage employers to come into the Jobcentres to talk to young people at workshops and to interview potential employees.
	Delivering a range of sector based work academies, Pre Employment Training and Employability Skills courses covering sectors where there are local employment opportunities. Sectors include; hospitality, adult social care, retail, contact centres, security and coach driving. In addition we help young people gain industry certification and occupational skills such as SIA (security) and CSCS (construction).
	Working closely with Portsmouth city council employment initiatives manager to ensure young people benefit from the employment and training opportunities where section 106 Employment and Skills Plan are in place.
	Voluntary work experience with a range of private, public and third sector employers has proved to be one of the most successful ways of helping young people develop the skills and experience they need to gain employment. We offer a work experience placement to any young person who would benefit from this and many young people secure employment as a result.
	Delivering events in partnership with Portsmouth city council. Examples include Making Choices (an event to bring young people together with apprenticeship providers and employers) and Journey Back to Work (an annual jobs fair at the Cascades).
	Working in partnership with the National Careers Service, who are based in both Cosham and Portsmouth Jobcentres, to deliver careers advice and support to develop CVs and interview skills.
	Specialist adviser support for young unemployed people with health conditions and disabilities and young single parents.

Employment Tribunals Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department.

Michael Penning: DWP currently hold a centralised database of employment tribunal cases which dates from January 2010. Since 2010 only one employment tribunal claim has been lodged against DWP on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination. The case is ongoing.
	Prior to January 2010, DWP Solicitors (Legal Group) recorded employment law cases under generic headings; therefore, if there had been any pregnancy or maternity discrimination claims these would have been recorded along with all other types of sex discrimination claims. Information can only be extracted by requesting individual files.

Employment: Disability

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Government plans to publish the disability employment strategy.

Esther McVey: The Government will publish the Employment Strategy for Disabled People and people with Health Conditions before the end of the year. The Strategy will set out the Government's proposals to enable more disabled people and people with health conditions to move into, remain in and progress in work.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Michael Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions has significantly reduced its total energy consumption and improved its energy efficiency over recent years. Between 2009-10 and 2012-13 the Department reduced energy consumption by 84,178,243 kWh. This figure may change slightly as 2012-13 data is yet to be validated.

Gas Masks

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will restrict the use and sale of Second World War gas masks for demonstration purposes.

Michael Penning: The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation, places restrictions on the sale and supply of products that contain asbestos. These will apply to Second World War gas masks, if they contain asbestos. REACH does permit the continued use of existing asbestos containing articles. However the Health and Safety Executive's advice is that, while the overall risk is low, it is not appropriate to wear or handle, for demonstration purposes, Second World War gas masks that could contain asbestos. There are some types of gas mask that do not contain asbestos, and others that have had asbestos removed. These can continue to be used for practical demonstration purposes.

Gas Masks

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to prevent the on-line sale of Second World War gas masks containing asbestos.

Michael Penning: The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation prohibits the importation, manufacture and supply of asbestos fibres, or articles containing asbestos fibres. So, selling or supplying gas masks that contain asbestos is a breach of the REACH Regulation. However, there are some types of gas mask which do not contain asbestos and others which have had asbestos containing elements removed, and these can be sold online.
	The Health and Safety Executive is currently evaluating whether asbestos is present in a range of gas masks and will in due course inform online retailers of the scale of the problem and work with them to restrict the sale of those known to contain asbestos.

Industrial Health and Safety

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans the Government has to support and develop the Health and Safety Executive Do your bit campaign to improve worker involvement in assisting employers develop effective risk management systems;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to promote greater worker involvement in promoting health and safety;
	(3)  with reference to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) evaluation of the HSE worker involvement training courses: final report, HSE Research Report 694, published in March 2013, what promotional activity the (a) Government and (b) HSE has undertaken to promote worker representative training since the launch of the report; and which press releases the HSE has published on this matter.

Michael Penning: The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) strategy ‘The Health and Safety of Great Britain \\ Be part of the solution’ underlines the value of involving employees in effective management of health and safety.
	HSE's website provides materials to assist employers and employees including free training products developed for the successful Do Your Bit campaign.
	HSE continues to work with key industry and employee representative organisations and professional bodies on this. This includes support for current initiatives by the quarrying and waste management industries.

Industrial Health and Safety

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend or delete the rights workers have under Article 11(2) of the Council Directive of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.

Michael Penning: Article 11(2) of this directive was transposed in Great Britain by Regulation 3 of the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996. The Government has no plans to change these regulations.

Industrial Health and Safety

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate the Health and Safety Executive has made of the proportion of employees in the UK who are not being adequately consulted under the (a) Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977, as amended, and (b) Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996.

Michael Penning: HSE has made no such estimate. However, survey sources suggest that more than two-thirds of workers feel fully involved when health and safety procedures are reviewed in the workplace.

Industrial Health and Safety

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what enforcement action the Health and Safety Executive has taken by way of (a) prosecutions, (b) prohibition notices, (c) improvement notices and (d) material breaches under the Fee for Intervention process in relation to the consultation rights identified in the (i) Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977, as amended and (ii) Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, in each year from 2000 to date.

Michael Penning: There have been no prosecutions instituted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under (i) the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SR and SC Regs 1977), as amended or under the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (CWE Regs 1996) in any of the years from 2000 to date.
	The number of prohibition and improvement notices issued by HSE inspectors citing (i) the SR and SC Regs 1977 or (ii) the CWE Regs 1996 since 2000 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Number 
			  Prohibition notices Improvement notices 
			 2000-01 2 4 
			 2001-02 0 7 
			 2002-03 5 4 
			 2003-04 3 6 
			 2004-05 0 5 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 0 1 
			 2007-08 0 2 
			 2008-09 0 1 
			 2009-10 0 0 
			 2010-11 0 2 
			 2011-12 0 2 
			 2012-13 0 1 
			 2013-14(1) 0 1 
			 (1 )Up to 15 November 2013. 
		
	
	The improvement notice issued in 2013-14 gave rise to a material breach under the Fee for Intervention Scheme. Information concerning material breaches of (i) the SR and SC Regs 1977 or (ii) the CWE Regs 1996 since 1 October 2012 where enforcement notices were not served can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many personal improvement plans were initiated for Jobcentre Plus staff in each year since 2009-10.

Michael Penning: The Department, which includes Jobcentre Plus, does not centrally maintain fully comprehensive records of all employees who have been placed under performance improvement plans as many of these are dealt with informally.

Jobcentre Plus

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people used jobcentre computers in each of the last four years.

Esther McVey: We do not gather this information.
	There are around 2,200 web-enabled computers currently in Jobcentres across the country.
	On 10 July the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith) publicly announced that we will be replacing our Jobpoints with 6,000 computers to help claimants in their job search.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total number of claimants of jobseeker's allowance was in (a) May 2010, (b) October 2010, (c) October 2011, (d) October 2012 and (e) October 2013; and what the total cost of such claims was in each such period.

Esther McVey: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Jobseeker's allowance caseload (thousand) and expenditure (£ million) 
			  May 2010 October 2010 October 2011 October 2012 October 2013 
			 Caseload (thousand) 1,447 1,359 1,503 1,484 1,209 
			 Expenditure (£ million) 390 365 414 434 N/A 
			 Source: The caseloads are from the Office for National Statistics NOMIS series and are for Great Britain and are not seasonally adjusted: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/ Notes: 1. Expenditure figures are from DWP accounting data and are net of accounting adjustments and benefit recoveries. 2. October 2013 expenditure is not currently available.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many seasonal workers have unsuccessfully claimed jobseeker's allowance at the end of their period of seasonal employment in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants who have (a) been sanctioned and (b) had their claim denied, have subsequently received employment and support allowance in each of the last three years.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on the annualised average hours of work required for seasonal workers to be eligible for jobseeker's allowance.

Esther McVey: There is no specific guidance issued about the annualised average hours of work required for seasonal workers to be eligible for jobseeker's allowance. There is jobseeker's allowance procedural guidance about averaging the hours and earnings of claimants and their partners who work part time.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants sanctioned by his Department have subsequently become homeless.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners did not take up benefits in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: On 23 February 2012 the Department for Work and Pensions published the latest estimates of the take-up of the main income-related benefits in Great Britain. This includes pension credit.
	The publication provides estimates for April 2009 to March 2010.
	The full report can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 592W, on Personal Independence Payment, how many children aged 15 years old who have received a letter notifying them that they will need to apply for the personal independence payment on turning 16, live in the four pilot areas for the new assessment process.

Michael Penning: Reassessment of disability living allowance (DLA) claims to personal independence payment (PIP), is being undertaken gradually and not through a pilot or trial of the system. The assessment criteria and processes being used in the reassessment of DLA claimants are the same as those which have been in place since 8 April 2013 for new claims. The only difference to the reassessment process (from DLA to PIP), is the issue of the initial invitation to claim.
	Approximately 3,600 letters have been issued to DLA claimants approaching their 16th birthday who are living in Wales, west Midlands, east Midlands and East Anglia.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 592W, on Personal Independence Payment, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on his Department of the changes to the planned rollout of the personal independence payment.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I provided to her on 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 517W.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many working-age adults with children who were classed as living in poverty there were in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available;
	(2)  what proportion of people were classed as living in deep poverty in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available;
	(3)  how many working-age adults without children were classed as living in poverty in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available.

Esther McVey: The following tables gives the number and percentage of working-age adults with children that are in relative low income, and the number and percentage of working-age adults without children that are in relative low income, both before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC), between 2010/11 and 2011/12.
	Figures are not available for single months, as figures are sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), which is collected on an annual basis. Figures have therefore been provided for 2010/11, as April 2010 is in the 2010/11 financial year; and for 2011/12, which is the latest year for which data is available.
	The Government do not have an official definition for deep poverty as such we are unable to provide figures in response to this question.
	
		
			 Number (million) and percentage of working-age adults with children in relative low income, before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC), 2010/11 to 2011/12 
			  BHC (No.) AHC (No.) BHC (%) AHC (%) Total number of working-age adults with children 
			 2010/11 2.2 3.3 16 24 13.6 
			 2011/12 2.1 3.2 15 23 13.7 
			       
			 Change 2010/11 to 2011/12 -0.1 -0.1 -1 -1 0.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Number (million) and percentage of working-age adults without children in relative low income, before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC), 2010/11 to 2011/12 
			  BHC (No.) AHC (No.) BHC (%) AHC (%) Total number of working-age adults without children 
			 2010/11 3.3 4.5 15 20 22.8 
			 2011/12 3.5 4.7 15 20 23.2 
			       
			 Change 2010/11 to 2011/12 0.2 0.2 1 1 0.4 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. Someone is defined as being in relative low income if their household income is below 60% of the income of the middle household. Household income is defined as disposable household income, adjusted for household size and composition, and adjusted for changes in inflation. 4. Figures have been presented on a before housing cost and an after housing cost basis. Housing costs include: rent (gross of housing benefit); water rates, community water charges and council water charges; mortgage interest payments; structural insurance premiums (for owner-occupiers); and ground rent and service charges. 5. Figures are rounded to the nearest percent and to the nearest 100,000 individuals. Figures may not sum due to rounding. 6. UK poverty figures are publicly available in the Household Below Average Income publication available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/households-below-average-income-hbai--2 Source: HBAI 2010/11-2011/12.

Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the population were in material deprivation in (a) April 2010 and (b) the last date for which data is held.

Esther McVey: Material deprivation is measured for children and pensioners; there are not measures of material deprivation for working age adults or for the whole population. Material deprivation measures for children are combined with low income.
	Figures are not available for single months, as figures are sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), which is collected on an annual basis. Figures have therefore been provided for 2010-11, as April 2010 is in the 2010-11 financial year; and for 2011-12, which is the latest year for which data is available.
	In 2010-11, 13% of children were in material deprivation and low income; while in 2011-12, 12% of children were in material deprivation and low income (source HBAI 2010-11 to 2011-12).
	In 2010-11, 9% of pensioners were in material deprivation; while in 2011-12, 8% of pensioners were in material deprivation (source HBAI 2010-11 to 2011-12).
	Notes:
	1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.
	3. To determine whether someone is in material deprivation, individuals are asked questions around whether they can afford certain goods and services, and their responses to these questions will determine whether they are deemed to be in material deprivation. A child is considered to be in material deprivation and low income if that child is in material deprivation, and lives in a family whose household income is below 70% of the income of the middle household.
	4. Household income is defined as disposable household income, adjusted for household size and composition, and adjusted for changes in inflation.
	5. Figures are rounded to the nearest percent.
	6. UK data on low income and material deprivation are publicly available in the Household Below Average Income publication available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/households-below-average-income-hbai--2

Poverty: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were in poverty in (a) April 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: This information is not available for all periods requested.
	The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
	Estimates of these are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or “equivalised”) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey.
	Due to the sample size of this survey, sufficient data is not collected within a single month needed to provide a robust child poverty estimate for April 2010 only. All child poverty figures reported are therefore in financial years only.
	Figures on the number of children in relative and absolute low income as well as in combined low income and material deprivation for 2010-11 and 2011-12 (the latest period for which figures are available) can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112 (ISBN 978-1-78153-531-8).
	Relevant figures can be found in Table 4.3tr, 4.4tr and 4.5tr (on pages 104-06).
	Persistent child poverty figures have only been published up to 2005-08, therefore figures for the requested periods do not exist and cannot be provided.
	We want to develop better measures of child poverty, which include, but go beyond, income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Recruitment: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve recruitment services for young unemployed people in Poole constituency.

Esther McVey: To support the young unemployed people in Poole the personal advisers in the Jobcentre deliver the following:
	Group information sessions over a four-week period covering Attitudes and Behaviour, CV writing, Interview Techniques and the final part is a mock interview with two members of our staff. Participants are asked to provide feedback at the end of the four sessions and to date this has been extremely positive, especially the mock interview. These sessions have developed as a result of consultation with our staff and customers.
	We run half day CV clinics for claimants in our Internet Access Device (IAD) suite. These sessions cover how to write a quality CV and utilise internet sites which will help with this. They provide the participant the opportunity to ask questions and collate the information they need to construct their own CV to a recognised standard.
	We also run half day group sessions where we promote the benefits of Work Experience. When possible we endeavour to involve one of our work experience employers in co-delivering these sessions. This enables participants to see how beneficial a work experience placement can be. Participation in work experience will provide claimants with a reference, recent work experience to record on their CV and experience of working as part of a team.
	Poole Jobcentre is a Digital Jobcentre and provides the use of web access devices and internet access devices. Advisers are able to use these devices to support claimants to set up email accounts, construct a CV, apply on line for vacancies and make best use of Universal Jobmatch, the Government's online recruitment portal.
	We arrange the mock interviews and ask them to come in dressed as though they were attending an actual interview. They are interviewed using competency based questions, as this is typical of current recruitment practice. Throughout the interview we provide constructive feedback on how they might consider alternative answers which would better promote them to a prospective employer.
	Our Employer Team work closely with the 18 to 24-year-old claimant group and focus employer activity on this particular area.
	Specifically we have:
	Set up an ongoing Sector Based Work Academy (SBWA) which focuses on Wage Incentive eligible customers (young people)
	Delivering additional SBWAs in:
	Security
	Hospitality
	Telecoms
	Customer Services
	Construction/Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)
	Retail.
	We are working with local authorities (LA) and their economic development teams to ensure future builds provide work opportunities for young people including Apprenticeships and Work Experience. This includes the North Poole site, Pilkington Tile site, Bourne Estate Job Hub, Hamworthy site and Twin Sails Bridge.
	We bring employers into our Jobcentres through our JobZone area, where employers and agencies have delivered interviews and training sessions directly to young people on job search techniques.
	Impact of these services on Poole youth unemployment figures:
	13 April: 710; 13 October: 515—reduction of 37.8%
	13 September: 550; 13 October: 515—(month on month) reduction of 6.79%
	12 October: 585; 13 October: 515—(year on year) reduction of 13.5%.

Social Rented Housing: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social housing households in Portsmouth South constituency are subject to the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: The information requested regarding the number of social housing households in Portsmouth South affected by the under occupancy penalty can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Social Security Benefits

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) incapacity benefit, (d) lone parents, (e) income support and (f) other out of work benefits there were in (i) May 2010, (ii) May 2013; and what the annual spend was on each such benefit.

Esther McVey: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Caseload (thousand) 
			  May 2010 May 2013 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 1,447 1,433 
			 Employment and support allowance 527 1,748 
			 Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance 2,087 710 
			 Income support lone parents 679 500 
			 Income support (excluding lone parents) 1,172 505 
			 Housing benefit 2,554 2,561 
			 Council tax benefit 2,687 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Annual expenditure (£ million) nominal 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			  Outturn  Outturn  Estimated outturn Forecast  
			 Jobseeker's allowance 4,476 4,930 5,149 5,258 
			 Employment and support allowance 2,232 3,554 6,700 9,590 
		
	
	
		
			 Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance 6,444 5,821 4,151 1,788 
			 Income support lone parents 2,621 2,394 1,894 1,711 
			 Income support (excluding lone parents) 5,233 4,604 3,456 1,569 
			 Housing benefit 12,824 13,318 13,520 13,116 
			 Council tax benefit 2,442 2,419 2,412 0 
			 Sources: DWP Statistical and Accounting data and administrative data from local authorities.

Social Security Benefits

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which benefits employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants will be able to apply for during the period when their ESA is undergoing mandatory reconsideration; and what the criteria of eligibility is for each such benefit.

Esther McVey: A person's eligibility for alternative benefits will depend upon their individual circumstances, however, as employment and support allowance will not be payable during the mandatory reconsideration period, the claimant may choose to claim jobseeker's allowance or income support if they satisfy the entitlement criteria:
	To qualify for jobseeker's allowance (JSA) someone will usually have to be 18 or over (but below state pension age) and able and available for work.
	To qualify for income support, someone will usually need to meet specific conditions, including having no income or a low income, working less than 16 hours a week and will not have signed on as unemployed.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes made to the Dispute and Appeals process on 28 October 2013.

Esther McVey: The changes to the disputes and appeals process were introduced on 28 October 2013; as such, it is too early to fully assess the impact of the reforms because it will be some time until people have been through the whole process. However, we will be monitoring outcomes carefully, looking at information from a wide range of sources to understand the impact from an operational, claimant, project and benefits realisation perspective.

Travel

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Esther McVey: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless other alternatives have been examined and exhausted. Where travel is deemed as appropriate, the most cost effective mode of transport must be utilised to ensure value for money.
	The cost of travel within the UK for the Department for Work and Pensions in each year since 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			 Total spend 
			  £ 
			 2010-11 37,595,276 
			 2011-12 33,589,996 
			 2012-13 30,998,799 
		
	
	The amount of spend on hire cars was as follows:
	
		
			 Hire cars 
			  £ 
			 2010-11 1,895,379 
			 2011-12 1,646,415 
			 2012-13 2,366,065 
		
	
	The increase in hire costs for 2012-13 can be explained as a result of travel policy changes that reduced the Department's fleet numbers which changed travel behaviours towards using other means of conducting business travel eg rail as well as hire cars.
	The Department does not engage in helicopter hire and any use of this mode of transport would be as a scheduled flight booking, we are unable to identify helicopter use as a separate feature of air travel, the costs of which are included in the total spend amounts shown above.
	UK hotel accommodation costs are:
	
		
			  England (£) 
			 2010-11 6,952,754 
			 2011-12 5,617,940 
			 2012-13 5,926,719 
		
	
	Subsistence
	The amount spent on subsistence by the Department in each year since 2010 is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Subsistence Total (£) 
			 2010-11 9,042,327 
			 2011-12 7,036,392 
			 2012-13 6,526,200 
		
	
	This information should be viewed in the context of a Department employing around 100,000 staff.

Unemployment: Young People

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how much youth unemployment was reduced in the Leeds city region with the funds made available by the Government to tackle youth unemployment between (a) 2005 and 2010 and (b) May 2010 and November 2013; how much the funds were in each case; and what estimate he has made of how much youth unemployment will be reduced in the same area by the £4.6 million investment announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 14 November 2013.

Esther McVey: The Department undertakes and publishes evaluations of labour market programmes for young people including where possible estimates of their impacts on benefit receipt and employment. These estimates cannot however be disaggregated to local level. A figure for the amount of Government funding to tackle youth unemployment in the Leeds city region is also not available.
	The £4.6 million investment in the Leeds city region, to help young people into work, is part of a larger source of funding from Government for cities across the UK to invest over the next three years. It is estimated this funding will help more than 25,000 young people into work across all of the cities involved.

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the youth unemployment summit he attended in Paris on 12 November 2013;
	(2)  what EU funding is available for delivery of the EU Youth Guarantee in the UK following the Paris summit on youth unemployment on 12 November 2013;
	(3)  what arguments he made in relation to the proposed European Youth Jobs Guarantee at the youth unemployment summit in Paris on 12 November 2013.

Esther McVey: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), attended the youth unemployment summit in Paris to highlight what the UK is doing to tackle unemployment among the hardest to reach young people.
	The UK's allocation from the Youth Employment Initiative is €192.5 million (in 2011 prices). At least 90% of this must be spent in the five areas in the UK with youth unemployment above 25% (Inner London, Merseyside, Tees Valley and Durham, West Midlands, and South West Scotland) and must be matched with the same amount from the UK's European Social Fund (ESF) allocation. Outside these areas, tackling youth unemployment will be a key priority for the rest of our ESF allocation in England (the use of structural funds in a devolved matter).
	The European Commission is encouraging member states to use this to implement the Youth Guarantee, but this remains a non-binding EU recommendation. Although we support the aims of the Youth Guarantee and agree with much of the supporting guidance, we do not believe a four month guarantee is right for the UK, since over 80% of 18 to 24-year-olds flow off of jobseekers' allowance within six months. We will instead be using the money in England on other interventions designed to tackle youth unemployment and to complement the Government's substantial existing investment.

Universal Credit

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the use of the post office network by disabled people likely to receive universal credit.

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 947, to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Mr Reid); the DWP, Post Office Ltd and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have begun detailed discussions concerning the future needs of customers beyond the end of the contract between DWP and Post Office Ltd to provide the Post Office Card, to ensure that access to pensions or other welfare benefits is not put at risk.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the effect of audio recording of work capability assessments on the (a) number, (b) cost and (c) success rate of appeals.

Michael Penning: The current evaluation of audio recording within the work capability assessment does not look at its effect on the number, cost or success rate of appeals.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues to Atos staff on awareness of (a) disabilities and (b) hidden disabilities when conducting work capability assessments.

Michael Penning: The core guidance for Atos Healthcare professionals completing Work Capability Assessments is contained in the WCA handbook for health care professionals. A copy of the handbook can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-handbook-for-healthcare-professionals
	All other guidance is detailed within schedule 28 of the contract between Atos and DWP. This schedule is currently being reviewed and a copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library by the end of February 2014.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average waiting time for an Atos medical assessment was in each region of the UK in each of the last three years.

Michael Penning: The following table shows what the average waiting time (days) for both employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit Reassessment Work Capability Assessments. This is shown for each medical centre covering the whole of the UK in each of the last three years.
	
		
			 Medical centre 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011 1 November 201 to 31 October 2012 1 November 2012 to 31 October 2013 
			 Birmingham 34.2 43.8 40.8 
			 Bootle 30.9 28.4 3.8.0 
			 Bristol 47.9 83.6 78.1 
			 Cardiff 39.9 45.1 59.1 
			 Croydon 47.5 73.0 56.9 
			 Leeds 28.3 30.4 34.0 
			 Manchester 32.5 28.7 32.4 
			 Newcastle 24.8 26.3 36.2 
			 Nottingham 26.0 27.1 40.9 
			 Scotland 29.2 43.1 40.8 
			 Wembley 45.5 61.1 63.1

Work Capability Assessment

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in England and Wales who were (a) tested for work capability by Atos or (b) waiting to be tested for work capability by Atos have committed suicide in 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The requested information is not available.

Work Programme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2013, Official Report, columns 273-4W, on disability: employment schemes, whether participants in the Work programme are permitted to receive remuneration for their work under the rules of that programme.

Esther McVey: Work programme providers have the discretion to mandate participants to a work placement which is intended to boost confidence and foster a work habit and must be of community benefit. Participants continue to receive their benefit entitlement while on a work placement but do not receive any additional remuneration.

Work Programme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what key statistical indications he uses to judge the effectiveness of the Work programme;
	(2)  what steps he takes to measure the job outcomes in the Work programme for men and women.

Esther McVey: Work programme performance analysis and job outcome information can be found through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/work-programme-statistics--2

Work Programme: Vale of Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were placed on the Work programme in the Vale of Clwyd in each month since its introduction.

Esther McVey: Statistics on how many people were referred to the Work programme in the Vale of Clwyd in each month since its introduction can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government on the relationship between the Work programme and Jobs Growth Wales.

Esther McVey: Department for Work and Pension officials hold regular meetings with officials from the Welsh Government to discuss policy. On 21 November 2013, Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in the Welsh Assembly Government and I discussed the Work programme and Jobs Growth Wales.

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people referred to the Work programme in Wales continued their employment at the end of the six month intervention.

Esther McVey: The Work programme is a two year programme with no six month intervention.
	Work programme job outcome information can be found through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/work-programme-statistics--2

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of how the Work programme interacts with skills training provided by Welsh Government.

Esther McVey: Work programme providers cannot currently refer claimants to skills training provided by the Welsh Government. I would like this to change, and on 21 November I had a discussion with Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology in the Welsh Assembly Government about this issue.

Work Programme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the proportions of job outcomes were for the Work programme in each local authority area in Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Work programme job outcome information for local authorities can be found through the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/work-programme-statistics--2

HEALTH

Physiotherapy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of physiotherapists working in the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) is committed to ensuring that we have a work force in the right numbers, with the right skills, values and behaviours to deliver high quality care for patients.
	To this end HEE has recently published the first comprehensive work force planning guidance, setting out a clear and transparent process for the system. During the year each employer will have shared their forecast needs with regard to the future work force with their Local Education and Training Board (LETB). The LETBs have used these forecasts as the basis for conversations with commissioners and other local stakeholders, before developing their work force investment plans and submitting them to HEE. HEE is now in the process of aggregating and assuring these 13 plans.
	HEE reports that the strategic health authorities’ forecasts indicate there would be 1,511 newly qualified physiotherapists in 2013-14 from the commissions they decided in 2009; this represents approximately 8% of the work force.
	For future years, the initial Workforce Investment Plan for England will set out the education commissions we intend to make with universities, including physiotherapy commissions, for places commencing in September 2014, and subject to the approval of HEE's board, they will publish this on 5 December.

Abortion

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to tackle the problem of selective sex abortions in the UK.

Jane Ellison: The Chief Medical Officer wrote to all medical practitioners, and others involved in abortion care on 22 November 2013, reminding them of their duties under the Abortion Act. On gender selection abortion the letter highlights that termination of pregnancy on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. The recent decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to prosecute doctors investigated for certifying gender selection abortions does not alter this. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
	Further, more detailed guidance will now be developed by the Department in partnership with the General Medical Council, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the CPS.
	All allegations of abortions failing to comply with the Act are taken very seriously. Any allegation of an illegal abortion should be reported to the police, who will, if appropriate, conduct a criminal investigation.

Antibiotics: Agriculture

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will consider amending the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy to take stronger measures against the intensive use of antibiotics in farming.

Jane Ellison: The UK Five Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy, which was published on 10 September this year, promotes the need for the responsible use of antibiotics in all sectors, including farming. We are developing outcome measures to assess the impact of the strategy in the different sectors, including the veterinary sector. These will be considered by the cross Government High Level Steering Group, which will oversee implementation, and is due to meet shortly.

Autism

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether awareness of autism has improved among health and social care professionals since the publication of the Adult Autism Strategy.

Norman Lamb: The current review of the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy for England “Fulfilling and rewarding lives” includes looking at whether awareness of autism has improved among health and social care professionals.
	“Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities and NHS organisations to support implementation of the Autism Strategy”, issued in December 2010, made clear to local authorities, NHS bodies and NHS foundation trusts that they should seek ways to make autism awareness training available to all staff working in health and social care.
	We will issue shortly a report which summarises the listening stage of the review.

Breastfeeding

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on his plans to introduce payments for mothers who breast feed; what estimate he has made of the likely cost of the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has made no plans to introduce payments for mothers who breastfeed.
	The Department believes the main way to promote breastfeeding is not financial incentives, but to make sure women have all the information they need to make an informed decision.

Cancer: Dorset

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Dorset received funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by South West strategic health authority (SHA) for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number of patients funded in:  
			 SHA 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Total number of patients funded October 2010 to end March 2013(1) 
			 South West 161 1,459 2,297 3,917 
			 (1 )Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund. 
		
	
	Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected at county level.
	NHS England took responsibility for the fund from April 2013 and is collecting data on the use of the fund from four regional teams. We are advised that between 1 April and end of September 2013, 2089 patients in the South of England area were funded.
	Source:
	Information provided to the Department by SHAs

Community Interest Companies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 158, what assessment his Department has made of the compliance with European state aid regulations of the funding of community interest companies competing to take business away from the private sector.

Norman Lamb: The assessment of compliance with European state aid regulations was part of the due diligence undertaken for each award made under the Department's Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF). SEIF is now closed and no new awards are being made. The issue of funding for this sector now rests primarily with Cabinet Office.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost to the NHS was of primary care related to diabetes in each year since 2006;
	(2)  what the cost to the NHS was of secondary care related to diabetes in each year since 2006.

Jane Ellison: The programme budgeting data provides estimates of primary care trusts' (PCT) expenditure on diabetes. However, the majority of expenditure relating to primary care appointments is included within Category 23a GMS/PMS so it is not possible to provide estimates of the cost to national health service of primary care related to diabetes.
	The programme budgeting data does provide a breakdown by care setting and does contain expenditure on primary care prescribing and is set out in the following table. This information was not available as part of the programme budgeting collection prior to 2010-11.
	Expenditure on diabetes in the inpatients, outpatients and other secondary care settings was £254 million in 2010-11 and £263 million in 2011-12. This information was not available as part of the programme budgeting collection prior to 2010-11.
	For in-patients, expenditure is allocated on the basis of primary diagnosis, so will not capture expenditure where diabetes has been recorded as a secondary diagnosis. For out-patients, expenditure is allocated on the basis of the treatment function code. This means that the diabetes figures will not capture expenditure relating to areas such as general medicine because this cannot be attributed to specific condition based programmes.
	The table provides a breakdown of diabetes expenditure by care setting for 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 Care setting 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Prevention and Health Promotion 32 39 
			 Primary Care 12 11 
			 Primary prescribing 865 917 
			 In-patient: Elective and Daycase 29 27 
			 In-patient: Non-elective 86 88 
			 Out-patient 106 116 
			 Other secondary care 33 31 
			 Ambulance 31 26 
			 Accident and Emergency (A&E) — — 
			 Community Care 202 219 
			 Care provided in other setting 15 22 
			 Non health or social care expenditure 51 50 
			 Total expenditure 1,462 1,546 
			 Notes: 1. Expenditure data are taken from PCT programme budgeting returns to the Department of Health for 2011-12. 2. Calculating programme budgeting data is complex and not all healthcare activity or services can be classified directly to a programme budgeting category or care setting. When it is not possible to reasonably estimate a programme budgeting category, expenditure is classified as 'Other'. Expenditure on General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services cannot be reasonably estimated at disease specific level, and is separately identified as a subcategory of 'Other' expenditure. 3. The allocation of expenditure to programme budgeting subcategories is not always straightforward, and subcategory level data should therefore be used with caution. 4. Estimates of expenditure are calculated using price paid for specific activities and services purchased from healthcare providers. PCTs follow standard guidance, procedures and mappings when calculating programme budgeting data. 5. The analysis of programme budgeting data by care setting was introduced for the first time in 2010-11. For this reason, programme budgeting data within individual care settings should be interpreted with caution. 6. Due to differences in the level of information available to PCTs on A&E attendances a national split has been applied to PCT total A&E expenditure to apportion it across programme budgeting categories.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many prescriptions were issued for drugs for the treatment of diabetes in (a) primary and (b) secondary care settings in each year since 2006;
	(2)  what the value was of prescriptions issued for drugs for the treatment of diabetes in (a) primary and (b) secondary care settings in each year since 2006.

Norman Lamb: Information is not collected centrally on prescriptions issued in primary care, only those issued and dispensed. Secondary care information is collected on medicines issued.
	
		
			 Quantity and cost of medicines used to treat diabetes, in England, as defined by British National Formulary Section 6.1 ‘Drugs used in diabetes’ 
			  Primary care Secondary care 
			  Prescription items (thousand)(1) Cost (£000)(2,3) Volume (thousand)(1) Cost (£000)(4) 
			 2006 28,439.4 562,479.0 1,750.9 25,955.3 
			 2007 30,407.4 594,125.8 1,778.0 27,314.3 
			 2008 32,567.4 593,327.3 1,820.5 29,495.9 
			 2009 34,811.9 634,785.6 1,886.6 30,053.1 
			 2010 37,705.2 713,164.3 1,846.4 29,424.5 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 40,009.2 751,673.1 1,837.9 29,223.3 
			 2012 42,181.1 767,869.1 1,915.2 28,666.0 
			 2013 Q1(5) 10,612.7 188,008.7 483.0 7,143.3 
			 (1) Information gathered for primary and secondary care volume is not comparable due to measuring different activity, (items v. packs respectively). (2) The net ingredient cost (NIC) of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed, in the community, in England. (3) Some medicines supplied through homecare providers may not be included. (4) Represents the cost of medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price paid. (5) Q1 of 2013 (January to March) is the latest available quarter covering both primary and secondary care. Sources: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Prescribing and Primary Care Services. IMS data. IMS HEALTH: Hospital Pharmacy Audit.

Diabetes

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure a clear distinction is made between the autoimmune condition type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes in the language used by (a) his Department and (b) the Government;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of insulin pumps for people with type 1 diabetes;
	(3)  what plans he has to increase the provision of structured education courses for people with type 1 diabetes.

Jane Ellison: NHS England's National Clinical Director for Diabetes, Dr Jonathan Valabhji, uses every available opportunity to highlight to health care professionals and to the population at large the differences between Type l and Type 2 diabetes, in terms of different pathophysiology and different health care needs.
	NHS England is also developing a service specification for clinical commissioning groups to use if they so choose, that serves to go some way to meet the aspirational quality goals of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards. This will clearly define the service requirements of Type 1 diabetes where they are different to those of Type 2 diabetes.
	NICE recommends pump therapy as an option for adults and children over the age of 12 years with Type 1 Diabetes, provided that multiple-daily insulin therapy has failed. It also recommends that insulin pump therapy can be used for children younger then 12 years with Type 1 Diabetes, provided specific criteria are met.
	Insulin pump therapy can make a difference to glycaemic control and quality of life in some people but it is not appropriate for everyone. All decisions about Insulin pump therapy must be made in consultation between the patient (and/or their parents or carer) and their health care professional.
	For patients with Type 1 diabetes, patient empowerment and self-care through education is a major priority in NHS England, as for all with long term conditions. As of 1 April this year, there are two additional levers in play to promote provision of structured education for those with Type 1 diabetes:
	A new Quality Outcomes Frame work indicator has been introduced, incentivising provision of structured education within nine months of first diagnosis.
	If someone with Type 1 diabetes is admitted with diabetic ketoacidosis, a new best practice tariff rewards the provision of structured education within three months of hospital discharge.

Energy

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in improving the energy efficiency of his Department.

Daniel Poulter: By the end of September 2013 the Department had reduced its energy usage by 24% compared to the baseline year 2009-10. This is on track to meet the Greening Government Commitment target.
	The Department has implemented a range of projects and initiatives to reduce energy consumption. These include:
	lighting upgrades, including the introduction of LED lighting;
	heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades;
	energy efficient air filters;
	boiler upgrades; and
	improved energy monitoring and bill validation.
	There have also been a range of information and communication technology related projects to reduce energy consumption, including the replacement of desktop personal computers with thin client dynamic desktop devices.

General Practitioners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, as part of his reforms to the GP contract, he will take steps to reduce the number of boxes that GPs are required to tick for each patient appointment.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Employers and the British Medical Association have reached agreement on the General Medical Services (GMS) contract. Details are available on NHS Employers' website:
	www.nhsemployers.org/PayAndContracts/GeneralMedicalServicesContract/GMSContractChanges/Pages/Contractchanges201415.aspx
	From April 2014 the size of the Quality and Outcomes Framework will be reduced by more than a third. This will enable general practitioners to focus more on ensuring personalised, joined up care for their patients. The GMS contract aims to provide more personalised and proactive care for those aged 75 or over and those with most complex health needs.

General Practitioners

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met representatives of GPs and clinical commissioning groups to discuss GP appointments; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), regularly meets with representatives of national health service organisations and professional groups, including those of general practitioners and clinical commissioning groups.
	Since April 2013, NHS England is responsible for the day to day running of the NHS.

General Practitioners: Dorset

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from GP surgeries wishing to participate in the extended-hours pilot scheme for GPs in the Dorset area.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England has yet to receive any representations from general practitioners (GPs) in the Dorset area who wish to participate in the scheme.
	More details on the process for selecting and supporting the pilot sites will be set out in December by NHS England, who will work with a wide range of professional organisations and an external reference group to identify innovative GP practices.

Health Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to implement the draft guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2010 on personal social and health education focusing on sexual health and alcohol.

Norman Lamb: Work on this draft public health guidance has been suspended and there are no immediate plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to resume its development.

Health Services: Overseas Students

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential administrative cost to the NHS of charging international students for their treatment.

Jane Ellison: The Immigration Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes to introduce a requirement for non-European economic area (EEA) temporary migrants, coming to the United Kingdom for more than six months, to pay an annual health surcharge with their visa application fee. This includes international students.
	The estimated administration cost to the national health service in England for the total number of estimated non-EEA migrants who will be covered by the health surcharge is £0.3 million per year. International students represent approximately 300,000 out of a total of around 500,000 visas granted to non-EEA temporary migrants. This was published in the Home Office impact assessment, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Health Visitors

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent health visitors were expected to be employed by the NHS under the Health Visitor Implementation Programme in July 2013; and how many such health visitors were employed at that time;
	(2)  when he expects to achieve the increase of 4,200 health visitors set out in the Health Visitor Implementation Plan published in February 2011.

Daniel Poulter: Plans are in place to deliver the increase of 4,200 health visitors by April 2015. The number of health visitors planned to be employed in England at August 2013 was 9,096 full-time equivalents. Work force data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre for August 2013 show that the total number of health visitors actually employed was 9,066 full-time equivalents.

Health Visitors

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made on implementation of the health visitor implementation plan; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The activities of the Department and its partners are ensuring that we remain on track to deliver the coalition commitment to increase health visitor numbers. As at August 2013 (the latest available workforce data(1)), there are 9,066 full time equivalent health visitors nationally, just 0.3% below the workforce trajectory. This is 974 more health visitors compared to the May 2010 baseline of 8,092, and equates to 23.2% of the 4,200 extra health visitors required by April 2015. We expect that between September and November this year, the total number of health visitors will grow by around 1,200. A total of 2,732 health visitor student training places have been commissioned for 2013-14.(2)
	(1) Workforce data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 21 November 2013.
	(2) Includes full, part time and Return to Practice students.
	In addition, NHS England has agreed a service specification for use with its Area Teams to commission the new four tier health visitor service model. A range of activities have been delivered to bolster professional leadership and mobilisation, including further development of professional pathways, guidance and support, as well as regional events that engage health visitor students.
	In June this year, the Department published the ‘National Health Visitor Plan: progress to date and implementation 2013 onwards’. This reflects progress at approximately the half way stage of the Health Visitor programme, as well as the new roles of the Department and the programme's partner organisations, NHS England, Health Education England and Public Health England.
	The Department publishes quarterly update reports on the Health Visitor programme and the next report is due to be published by the end of November 2013 on the Department's website.

Home Care Services

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve social care provision within domiciliary settings.

Norman Lamb: Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to receive good quality care, whether in their own homes, in hospital or in care homes. More than 300,000 people in England rely on homecare services. The great majority of care is very good, but there are still examples of poor practice. We are determined to drive up quality and stamp out poor care.
	For people receiving state funding for care services, we recognise the importance of each local authority's purchasing decisions. We are working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association to develop standards for local authority commissioning that will support sector-led continuous improvement that should lead to more effective purchasing and better quality services being provided. The Care Bill sends a clear message that commissioning services without properly considering the impact on individuals' well-being is unacceptable.
	We are strengthening the Care Quality Commission's (CQCs) regulatory function. The new Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, will have widespread powers to take firm action on poor care and to hold both councils and providers to account for the quality of services. The Care Bill will also give the CQC the power to publish performance ratings on the quality of social care provision, which will give the public a clear and simple way of determining which providers are offering the best services.
	Good quality homecare involves a wide range of actors: local authorities, individual care workers, care providers, care service users and their carers and a wide range of health care professionals. This is why, in partnership with The Guardian, we have established the Homecare Hub.
	Through the Hub, we are encouraging people across all groups to talk about their experiences of homecare and to share their ideas about how to improve it.
	The Homecare Hub is attracting tens of thousands of visitors who have an interest in homecare, whether as users of services, their carers and families or care professionals. During its launch, people were asked to complete an online survey, which generated nearly 1,500 responses and over 8,000 individual comments and ideas. We intend to share these ideas and experiences and use them to encourage improvement in homecare. We shall be working with leaders in homecare to refine these ideas and to develop ways in which they can work together to improve homecare for service users, their carers and their families.

Hospital Wards: Gender

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breaches of his Department's guidance on same-sex accommodation have been reported by mental health trusts (a) in total and (b) by trust in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is set out on the following table.
	
		
			  Number of mixed sex accommodation (MSA) breaches 
			 Mental health and learning disability NHS organisation December 2010 to March 2011 April 2011 to March 2012 April 2012 to March 2013 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 2 0 0 
			 Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 1 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust 0 0 1 
			 Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 0 3 0 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 0 0 12 
			 Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust 0 14 0 
			 South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 1 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 2 2 0 
			 Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 0 10 0 
			 Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 0 0 1 
			 West London Mental Health NHS Trust 1 1 0 
			 Total 6 30 15 
			 Notes: 1. Data on the number of occasions that provider organisations were in breach of the Department's guidance on same-sex accommodation (MSA) was collected by provider organisations for the first time in December 2010. 2. Figures published during the early months of the collection, from December 2010 to March 2011, should be treated with a degree of caution as providers were implementing and embedding new data collection procedures. From April 2011 the data became mandatory for all national health services providers, including foundation trusts. It is therefore expected that data submitted from April 2011 onwards is of a higher quality than in previous months. 3. For the purpose of this question, the list of mental health and learning disability trusts is as defined by the Health and Social Care Information Centre as part of its 2012-13 collection of estates data.

Hospitals: Food

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on food served to patients in NHS hospitals.

Daniel Poulter: The Department collects data from the national health service annually through the estates return information collection under the section “food services”. These data cover: the cost of feeding one in-patient per day (patient meal day); ward food wastage (expressed as the number of unserved meals); the total number of in-patient main meals requested; and the gross cost of in-patient (food) services. This information is available on the Health and Social Care Information Centre website at:
	www.hefs.ic.nhs.uk/ERIC.asp
	Further information on hospital food is collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, on behalf of NHS England, via the food and hydration section of the patient-led assessments of the care environment. This information can be accessed via the following link:
	www.hscic.gov.uk/article/2021/Website-Search? productid=12322&q=Patient+led&sort=Relevance&size=1 0&page=l&area=both#top

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients contracted (a) MRSA and (b) other infections in hospitals in Dorset in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: Although Public Health England (PHE) does not routinely collect comprehensive data on all hospital-acquired infections, as part of its mandatory surveillance programmes it does collect data on Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), Meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteraemia at the level of each acute NHS trust.
	The data summarised in the following table, taken from this surveillance programme, represent the total number of trust apportioned cases of MRSA bacteraemia, CDI and MSSA bacteraemia and all cases of E. coli bacteraemia from three acute national health service trusts in Dorset over the last three years (where data are available).
	Trust apportioned cases represent infections that were probably acquired in the reporting trust during the present admission, as determined by PHE. Three years of data are presented for MRSA bacteraemia and CDI, two years for MSSA bacteraemia and one year for E. coli bacteraemia in line with commencement of data collection for the latter.
	
		
			 Total reports across three NHS trusts in Dorset(1) 
			  April 2010 to March 2011 April 2011 to March 2012 April 2012 to March 2013 
			 MRSA bacteraemia (trust apportioned reports) 5 4 5 
			 CDI (trust apportioned reports—patients aged 2 years and up) 134 115 80 
			 MSSA bacteraemia (trust apportioned reports) — 49 40 
			 E. coli bacteraemia (all reports) — — 477 
			 (1 )Dorset county hospital, Poole hospital and Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch hospitals Note: Data are correct as of 22 May 2013.

Malnutrition: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with malnutrition were admitted to Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust hospitals in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The number of in-patient finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of malnutrition at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for the fiscal years 2008-09 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Provider code Provider name 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 RAE Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 52 65 101 136 100 
			 Notes: 1. In-patients are patients who are admitted to hospital and occupy a bed. Including both admissions where an overnight stay is planned and day cases. 2. A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 3. ICD-10 codes used to identify admissions due to Malnutrition: E40.X—Kwashiorkor E41.X—Nutritional marasmus E42.X—Marasmic kwashiorkor E43.X—Unspecified severe protein-energy malnutrition E44.0—Moderate protein-energy malnutrition E44.1—Mild protein-energy malnutrition E45.X—Retarded development following protein-energy malnutrition E46.X—Unspecified protein-energy malnutrition O25.X—Malnutrition in pregnancy 4. A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS Trust or PCT). 5. HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. 6. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). The Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2013, Official Report, columns 71-73W on mental health, if he will make an assessment on the effect of a reduction in living standards on mental health and well-being.

Norman Lamb: The link between economic downturns and mental ill health is well established and there have been a number of recent publications that have considered this issue. We have therefore no plans to carry out a further assessment on the effect of the reduction in living standards on mental health and well-being at this time.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2013, Official Report, columns 166-9W, on mental health services for young people, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in data collection on the accuracy of data relating to under-18 year olds who were admitted to adult mental health wards between 2007 and 2012; and what estimate he has made of the number of young patients on adult wards which were not set aside for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services patients in 2011-12.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre data collection for 2011-12 does not exclude patients who were on part of an adult ward set aside for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services patients.
	In 2011-12, there were 47 children aged under 16 on an adult mental health ward and 298 adolescents aged 16-17 on an adult mental health ward.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of child and adolescent mental health services provision (a) nationally and (b) regionally.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment.
	We are investing £54 million over 2011 to 2015 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. This will drive service transformation in child and adolescent mental health services—giving children and young people improved access to the best mental health care by embedding evidence based practice and making sure whole services use session by session outcome monitoring.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his oral statement of 19 November 2013, Official Report, columns 1095-7, on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, what his current estimate is of the number of medically qualified personnel who will be involved in carrying out the regulatory, advisory and inspection functions referred to in that statement.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England and is responsible for designing and implementing its new regulatory and inspection model. The CQC has provided the following information.
	The CQC, led by its Chief Inspector of Hospitals, began the first wave of its new acute inspections on 16 September 2013. These will be completed on 6 December 2013.
	Typically, during this programme, at least four medically qualified personnel have been involved in carrying out the CQC's regulatory, advisory and inspection functions in each case. On each inspection, the number of medically qualified personnel carrying out these functions has varied depending on the size of each trust (the number of locations it operates) and the nature of any concerns that have been highlighted from the intelligence the CQC has received about each trust.
	The CQC has defined 'medically qualified personnel' as medical doctors. Other clinical staff have also been part of inspection teams: at least four nurses or allied health professionals have participated, though their numbers have varied depending on trust size and nature of concerns about each trust.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral statement of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 1097 and the answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 104W, on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, whether the Fit and Proper Person test referred to in that statement is the same mechanism as the barring mechanism referred to in that Answer; and when he expects that Fit and Proper Person test to be implemented.

Daniel Poulter: The Government Response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry confirmed that the Government will establish a new fit and proper person's test for board level appointments, which will mean that the Care Quality Commission is able to bar directors who are unfit from individual posts at the point of registration. This will apply to providers from the public, private and the voluntary sectors. Where a director is considered by the Care Quality Commission to be unfit, it could either refuse registration, in the case of a new provider, or require the removal of the director on inspection, or following notification of a new appointment.
	Further details will be set out in the response to the consultation on corporate accountability which will be published shortly. The Government plans to publish the draft regulations for consultation at the same time and to introduce the new regulations in October 2014.

MMR Vaccine

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people between 10 and 16 years old had received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine when the 95 per cent target was announced in his Department's MMR Action Plan, published in May 2013.

Jane Ellison: Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) coverage is only routinely collected at age two and five years. The baseline coverage was therefore estimated from annual coverage data collected between 2002 and 2008.(1) Of English children aged 10 to 16 years in 2013, around 88.2% were reported to have received at least one dose of MMR vaccine at the age of five years. To adjust for vaccination that these children may have received subsequently, it was. assumed that 30% of those recorded as unvaccinated at the age of five years had received at least one MMR by 2013.(2) This provided a baseline estimate of MMR coverage in 10 to 16-year-olds of between 92% and 93% in April 2013.(2)
	(1)Note:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1195733783627
	(2)Note:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-mmr-coverage-ready-reckoner-tool-2013
	Public Health England (PHE) is currently undertaking an audit to assess what proportion of children aged 10 to 16 years and recorded as unvaccinated for MMR on their local Child Health Information System have a record of vaccination with their general practice.

Muscular Dystrophy

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the access to care for patients with muscular dystrophy in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in the last five years;
	(2)  how many people have been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no assessment of the access to care for patients with muscular dystrophy in Ribble Valley constituency, Lancashire and England in the last five years.
	Information on how many people have been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in each of the last five years is not available in the format requested.
	Making the national health service more responsive to the needs of people with long-term conditions, including those with neurological conditions such as muscular dystrophy, is a key Government priority and we have committed to this in the NHS Mandate, the NHS Constitution and the NHS Outcomes Framework.
	The Mandate and the Outcomes Framework both include objectives for NHS England to make the NHS among the best in the world at supporting people with on-going health problems to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.

Muscular Dystrophy: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase neuromuscular care advisor and paediatric neuromuscular consultant provision in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services, including neuromuscular services.
	NHS England published “Neurosciences: Specialised Neurology (Adult)” in July 2013. This service specification describes the service commissioned by NHS England for patients with a neuromuscular disorder. Care is provided via a managed clinical pathway that supports multidisciplinary and cross organisational working. The multi-disciplinary team includes neuromuscular care co-ordinators.
	The service specification has been implemented from 1 October 2013. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they comply with the service description and standards.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 500W, on NHS Walk-in Centres, how many Walk-in Centres were classified as accident and emergency in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: This information is not held in the format requested.
	There has never been an agreed definition of a walk-in centre (WiC). This term is sometimes used interchangeably with terms such as ‘Minor Injuries Unit’ and ‘Urgent Care Centre’.
	Information on WiCs which are classified as a type of accident and emergency (A&E) department is already collected as part of the existing A&E returns, although these are collected as ‘type 3’ A&E departments along with urgent care centres and minor injuries units. Others are commissioned locally and do not currently submit central returns.
	It is not possible to identify the number of sites as the aggregate return only collects attendances by organisation, not by site.

NHS: Negligence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 502W, on NHS: Negligence, whether his Department holds data on the cost of negligence cases to the NHS; and if so how much such cases have cost in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold this information centrally, as each national health service body is responsible for handling its own litigation except where they have the claims processed under the statutory NHS indemnity schemes, which are administered by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) on behalf of the Secretary of State.
	The following table shows cost of negligence cases administered by the NHS LA in each of the last three years :
	
		
			 £000 
			  2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 
			 Clinical negligence 1,258,880 1,277,371 863,398 
			 Other negligence 50,599 52,390 47,981 
			  1,309,479 1,329,761 911,379 
			 Source: NHS LA 
		
	
	These figures relate only to expenditure by the NHS LA. ‘Other negligence’ includes public and employers' liability and property claims.

NHS: Staff

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medically qualified personnel involved in NHS England and other NHS bodies are not currently providing direct care or treatment to patients.

Daniel Poulter: This information is not collected centrally.
	Doctors are defined centrally based on the General Medical Council/General Dental Council approved medical specialty within which they trained if their role requires such registration to be held to carry out their duties. The coding does not differentiate between those who do or do not provide direct patient care.

NHS: Training

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) training and (b) guidance his Department gives to medical professionals working for the NHS on awareness of (i) disabilities and (ii) hidden disabilities when treating a patient.

Daniel Poulter: Disability awareness training is primarily a responsibility of employers, however the Government recognises the importance of lifelong learning for all staff working in health and social care.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on a wide range of physical and mental health-conditions, many of which will affect disabled people. In addition, NICE is developing further guidance, including clinical guidelines on mental health problems in people with learning disabilities and disability, dementia and frailty in later life.
	NICE expects health and care professionals to take NICE guidance on the treatment of relevant conditions fully into account when deciding how to treat a patient.

Nurses

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, column 663W, on nurses, what the reasons for the decision taken to stop collecting centrally the numbers of locum or bank nurses were.

Daniel Poulter: The Government made a commitment in the White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ to:
	“...initiate a fundamental review of data returns, with the aim of culling returns of limited value, to ensure that the National Health Service information revolution is fuelled by data that are meaningful to patients and clinicians when making decisions about care, rather than by what has been collected historically”.
	The Fundamental Review covered all national data returns requested by the Department and its arm's length bodies (ALBs) from NHS organisations and recommended that 76 (25%) of the returns be discontinued and estimated that this would reduce the burden on the NHS by approximately £10 million per annum.
	The review challenged data returns to demonstrate they meet the following criteria:
	help drive the achievement of a key priority with the focus on outcomes and the quality standards that deliver them, safety and patient experience;
	provide comparable information about the quality of services;
	support patient choice and empowerment;
	are required to demonstrate public or parliamentary accountability for the efficient stewardship of public money, or
	are necessarily generated as a result of the care giving process.
	Following consultation, a number of central returns were discontinued, including the bank nursing aspect of the NHS Non-Medical Workforce Census. The rationale behind its suspension and ultimate cessation was because this data return did not meet the criteria, and included considerations such as the burden on NHS organisations, data quality and availability of similar information from other data sources.
	Improved NHS Earnings data now includes information on Bank Staff Earnings—the latest publication is available here:
	www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=123588itopics=l%2fWorkforce0/o2fStaff+earnings&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=l#top

Nurses

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of nurses who qualified in the UK who have not secured a job in the NHS in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected centrally.
	The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) may have the information on the number of nurses who qualified in the United Kingdom but who have not secured a job in the national health service in each of the last three years. HESA is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education. HESA collects information on the first destination of graduates.
	The HESA website is available at:
	www.hesa.ac.uk

Nurses

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the difference between the number of nurses expected to qualify in the UK and the number required to fill current and future vacancies in the next five years;
	(2)  how many nurses are expected to qualify in England and Wales in each year from 2014 to 2018;
	(3)  how many nurses qualified in England and Wales in each year from 2005 to 2013.

Daniel Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) will publish its England level plan (name to be confirmed) on 5 December. This year providers have forecast their future workforce requirements (with the responsibility of reflecting local service demand based on need) which local education and training boards (LETBs) have moderated to make adjustments to their education and training commissions. The England assessment of those positions will be available in the published plan.
	HEE hold information contributing to, and are responsible for, the secure supply of the England NHS-funded workforce but Wales is not part of their remit. Attrition assumptions have been modelled into an assessment of security of supply, and hence the “qualifiers” that will outturn through to 2014-18 (for nurses), the higher level outcomes of which will be published in December.
	Earlier this year, HEE exercised a due diligence process to collate information from the LETBs (formerly strategic health authorities) as part of an inherited HEE responsibility to provide assurance of 2012-13 education commission positions. In year outturn from 2009-10 to 2012-13 actuals are listed as follows by core nursing branch:
	
		
			  Actual 
			 “Outturn” by branch 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total nursing and midwifery 14,696 14,486 15,579 17,407 
			 of which:     
			 adult 9,465 9,098 9,634 10,560 
			 children's 1,415 1,388 1,560 1,670 
			 mental health 2,188 2,234 2,553 2,870 
			 learning disabilities 403 385 395 462 
		
	
	
		
			 midwives 1,225 1,381 1,437 1,845 
			 Notes: 1. HEE does not hold figures prior to 2009-10. 2. Planned commissions and outturn do not mean this number of trainees are always delivered due to under recruitment to this plan which a commissioning/employer responsibility. 3. The above are historical figures under the governance of the former strategic health authorities. Source: HEE

Nurses: Foreign Workers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of non-UK qualified nurses recruited by the NHS from (a) within the European Union and (b) non-European Union countries on fixed term contracts who (i) have had their contracts extended and (ii) been given permanent contracts in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Nurses: Foreign Workers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses employed in the NHS are nationals of countries (a) within and (b) outside the EU.

Daniel Poulter: The numbers of nurses employed in the national health service who are nationals of countries within and outside the European Union are not collected centrally. However, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) collects data on the number of registrations to the NMC register. The following table shows the number of nurses from overseas and the European Economic Area registered as nurses in the NHS since 2002:
	
		
			  Overseas European Economic Area(1) 
			 2002 12,747 802 
			 2003 13,954 1,029 
			 2004 11,306 1,192 
			 2005 8,634 1,745 
			 2006 4,830 1,484 
			 2007 2,338 1,457 
			 2008 762 1,920 
			 2009 550 1,970 
			 2010 1,143 2,715 
			 2011 1,152 3,137 
			 2012 869 3,436 
			 (1) Excluding the United Kingdom. Note: For each year data relates to the period of 1 April to 31 March the following year. Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Nurses: Foreign Workers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of non-UK-qualified nurses recruited by the NHS from countries (a) within and (b) outside the EU in each of the last three years.

Daniel Poulter: The number of non-United Kingdom qualified nurses recruited by the national health service from countries within and outside the European Union is not collected centrally. However, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) collects data on the number of registrations to the NMC register. The following table shows the number of nurses from overseas and the European Economic Area registered as nurses in the NHS since 2002:
	
		
			  Overseas European Economic Area(1) 
			 2002 12,747 802 
			 2003 13,954 1,029 
			 2004 11,306 1,192 
			 2005 8,634 1,745 
			 2006 4,830 1,484 
			 2007 2,338 1,457 
			 2008 762 1,920 
			 2009 550 1,970 
			 2010 1,143 2,715 
			 2011 1,152 3,137 
			 2012 869 3,436 
			 (1)()Excluding the United Kingdom. Note: For each year data relates to the period of 1 April to 31 March the following year. Source: Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS mental health trusts offering specific maternal mental health services.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the number of national health service mental health trusts offering specific maternal mental health services is not collected centrally.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, columns 504W, on radiotherapy, whether NHS England intends to introduce a non-mandatory tariff for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the financial year 2014-15.

Daniel Poulter: NHS England and Monitor will not be introducing a non-mandatory tariff for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the financial year 2014-15.

Tuberculosis

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the level of tuberculosis in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Hendon constituency.

Jane Ellison: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom is assessed through systematic analysis of notification data obtained from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance System run by Public Health England. In 2012 in the UK, a total of 8,751 cases of TB were reported, a rate of 13.9 cases per 100,000 population.
	TB rates in the UK showed a sustained increase from 2000 until 2005, and have remained among the highest in western Europe. Certain sub-groups, such as new migrants, ethnic minority groups, and those with social risk factors (homelessness, imprisonment or problem drug/alcohol use) have particularly high rates.
	In 2012, the rate of TB in England was 15.3 cases per 100,000 population. The rate of TB in London was 41.8 cases per 100,000 population. Hendon constituency had a TB rate of 47.5 cases per 100,000.

Visual Impairment

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that all newly-blind and partially-sighted people receive an early offer of rehabilitation;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that all local authorities have an up to date register of blind and partially-sighted people in their area.

Norman Lamb: Clause 76 of the Care Bill will require local authorities to provide preventive services to their populations, and we will use regulations under the Bill to maintain existing requirements for rehabilitation (intermediate care) services to be provided free of charge for up to six weeks. This duty applies regardless of people's eligibility for care and support, and includes people with sight impairments. Clause 76 will be supported by guidance.
	Local authorities have a legal duty to keep a register of people who are severely sight impaired and partially sight impaired. This requirement is retained under the Care Bill. The register will help to ensure that visually impaired people can receive proper assessments of their support needs.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Heywood

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made in rolling out broadband in Heywood.

Edward Vaizey: Superfast broadband is now available to 73% of premises in the UK; in Rochdale superfast coverage is 96.2%. The Greater Manchester local authorities, excluding the cities of Manchester and Salford which have funding from the Urban Broadband Fund, are currently finalising a contract for further delivery of superfast broadband under the Government's rural broadband programme.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is intending to give to small local radio stations in connection with the introduction of digital broadcasting.

Edward Vaizey: Government recognises the importance of local commercial radio stations to the communities they serve and is committed to reserving part of the FM spectrum as a platform for local and community radio stations, for as long as it is needed. My officials are also working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are very encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling low cost low power DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.

Disabled Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of employees in her Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Helen Grant: The table shows the proportion of DCMS employees who have declared a disability (physical or learning) in each grade.
	This answer assumes the civil pay scale to be the civil service grade.
	
		
			 Grade Civil service equivalent grade Proportion of employees declaring a disability (percentage) 
			 SCS SCS 0 
			 AU Grade 6 0 
			 A Grade 7 1.6 
			 B HEO/SEO 3.6 
			 C EO 3.4 
			 D AO/AA 5.2 
			 Note: Completion of this data is non-mandatory for staff. As such these figures may not be fully representative of work force diversity.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Helen Grant: Our records show there have been no complaints of age discrimination or harassment lodged against employees of DCMS.
	The Department does not hold records of complaints against its Executive agencies.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Helen Grant: Our records show there have been no complaints of racial discrimination or harassment lodged against employees of DCMS.
	The Department does not hold records of complaints against its Executive agencies.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Helen Grant: Our records show that there were no complaints of sex discrimination lodged against employees of my Department. There were two complaints of sexual harassment made (one in 2010 and one in 2011). Action was taken in accordance with the Department's disciplinary procedures.
	The Department does not hold records of complaints against its Executive agencies.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Helen Grant: Our records show there have been no complaints of disability discrimination or harassment lodged against employees of DCMS.
	The Department does not hold records of complaints against its Executive agencies.

Discrimination

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its Executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action.

Helen Grant: Our records show there have been no complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment lodged against employees of DCMS.
	The Department does not hold records of complaints against its Executive agencies.

Employment Tribunals Service

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against her Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against her Department.

Helen Grant: Our records show there have been no employment tribunals related to pregnancy or maternity lodged against DCMS.

Football

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will establish a Government Expert Group on increased opportunity for supporters to be involved in the ownership of their clubs; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: We are currently considering proposals from Supporters Direct on an expert group on supporter engagement. Meanwhile, we continue to press the football authorities to better engage with their fans and have been encouraged by the introduction of a designated Supporter Liaison Officer into each of the Premier League and Football League clubs.

Football Association

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she has made on encouraging reform to the internal governance of the Football Association; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: We welcome the fact that recent reform of the FA Board now meets Sport England's governance requirements. We continue to press the football authorities to ensure further reform to their decision making structures, the financial regulation of the game and their engagement with supporters.

Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on ICANN's proposals for exclusive ownership of generic top-level domains at the upcoming conferences in Argentina and Singapore.

Edward Vaizey: The UK supported the advice provided by ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to the Board of ICANN in April 2013 following its meeting in Beijing that as a general rule the generic top level domain name (gTLD) space should be operated in an open manner. As an exception to this general rule, the GAC also advised the board that in the cases of gTLDs associated with market sectors which have clear and/or regulated entry requirements in any jurisdictions, such as the charity, financial, gambling and health sectors, appropriate registration restrictions should be applied by the registry operators. The board accepted this GAC advice.

Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration the Government has made of the effects on competition of ICANN's proposals for exclusive ownership of generic top-level domains on businesses operating in the UK.

Edward Vaizey: Through its seat on ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), the UK supported the general position taken by the GAC that exclusive ownership of generic top level domains would not serve the best interests of promoting competition in the domain name space and would not be consistent with the overall public interest objectives of expanding the domain name system.

Jimmy Savile

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the BBC Trust on reports of (a) leaked evidence from the Pollard Review and (b) exclusion by the Pollard Review of evidence from BBC executive Helen Boaden.

Edward Vaizey: Although I have regular discussions with the BBC Trust on a range of matters, the Pollard Review and all other related inquiries are a matter for the BBC.

Railways

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Transport, (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (c) Cabinet Office about improving wi-fi coverage and mobile connectivity across the UK rail network.

Edward Vaizey: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues at the Department for Transport, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on a range of issues.

Sports: Females

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of female sports coaches and match officials; and what assessment her Department has made of the effect of female sports coaches and match officials on female sports participation rates.

Helen Grant: 31% of sports coaches in the UK are women. Sport England is investing £5 million through Sports coach UK to improve the standard and availability of coaching. This includes a pilot project to recruit and retain 500 new female coaches in the south-east. The aim is to roll out the project nationally from 2015 and recruit up to 5,000 new female coaches. While there is some evidence to suggest the gender of coach can be important to participants, the quality and enjoyment of the coaching session remain key factors in increasing and maintaining the number of women who take part in a sport.
	Sport England does not hold any specific data on female match officials.

Sports: Females

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that sporting and changing facilities in (a) schools and (b) community centres are appropriately adapted to encourage sporting participation by (i) disabled women, (ii) elderly women and (iii) Muslim women.

Helen Grant: Sport England has invested around £40 million to upgrade community sports facilities and make these accessible and welcoming facilities for disabled and non-disabled people alike of all ages. In addition, Sport England has published design principles to ensure that needs of all groups are considered at the design phase and good quality access is provided. In response to research on BME groups provided by Sporting Equals, Sport England are using the Bury Woman and Sport pilot project to try out new ways to overcome barriers to participation for Muslim women. These include women-only fitness sessions with no spectators, sessions delivered by women and adjusting the timings of sessions to be sensitive to prayer times.
	The Department for Education is responsible for information on sporting and changing facilities within schools.

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of employees in her Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade.

Helen Grant: The table shows the percentage of employees in DCMS who are (a) female and (b) male, by each civil service grade.
	
		
			 Grade Civil service equivalent grade Gender Proportion of employees (percentage) 
			 SCS SCS Male 37.66 
			   Female 62.34 
			     
			 AU Grade 6 Male 53.85 
			   Female 46.15 
			     
			 A Grade 7 Male 53.07 
			   Female 46.93 
			     
			 B HEO/SEO Male 46.29 
			   Female 53.71 
			     
			 C EO Male 43.38 
			   Female 56.62 
			     
			 D AO/AA Male 44.86 
			   Female 55.14 
			     
			 Overall  Male 47.20 
			   Female 52.80

Staff

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of employees in her Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil service pay grade.

Helen Grant: The table shows the percentage of employees in DCMS who are (a) white British and (b) from other minority groups, by each civil service grade.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Grade Civil service equivalent grade White Other minority groups Prefer not to say Not disclosed 
			 SCS SCS 47.46 2.97 0.00 49.57 
			 AU Grade 6 54.55 9.09 0.00 36.36 
			 A Grade 7 44.85 5.01 5.36 44.79 
			 B HEO/SEO 43.78 5.57 8.38 42.27 
			 C EO 52.41 5.68 0.13 41.77 
			 D AO/AA 22.44 4.72 0.00 72.84 
		
	
	Completion of this data is non-mandatory for staff. As such these figures may not be fully representative of work force diversity.